THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

"WTF!"

Guy Luzon, the head coach of Standard Liège, could only place his hands at the back of his head after watching Zachary score once again from around sixty-four yards away from the goal.

"How could a player change so much within a short period of a few weeks?" Coach Guy Luzon could not help but wonder as he watched the Rosenborg players celebrating in front of the corner flag.

He'd always been a very meticulous coach. So, he'd researched Rosenborg quite thoroughly before the game that day and knew their strengths and weaknesses like the back of his hand. However, he'd still been caught off guard by Zachary Bemba's improvement as it was simply abnormal as far as he was concerned.

In just a few weeks, Zachary had managed to progress by leaps and bounds and turned into a phenomenal world-class talent. He could still fumble with the ball on a few occasions during previous matches. However, for that day's game against Standard Liège, his physical and tactical ability upfront was simply exceptional. As long as you allowed him an inch of space on the field, the boy prodigy would punish you.

Moreover, he was even more dangerous after switching to the striking position. His control, acceleration, and vision in the final third were extraordinarily out of this world to the point of terrorizing opposing defenses. He could drop from the penalty box to pick up the ball in midfield, switch to the flanks, and attract and disorientate the central defenders with his well-timed runs. Watching him was simply like watching a character out of a video game.

Coach Guy Luzon would have genuinely wanted to sign such a player as long as he was available during the upcoming transfer window. But he could only put a halt to his wishful thinking as he knew that the boy had already caught the eye of some of the top vultures in Europe, especially after that day's match.

**** ****

The referee finally blew the whistle and brought an end to Standard Liège's misery after five minutes of added time. Rosenborg had managed to defeat the Belgian giants with a score of 4:0. As a result, they had taken their tally to six points and ascended to the second position in Group C.

As long as they could defeat their next opponents, IF Elfsborg, they would have the highest chance of qualifying for the round of thirty-two. That was why the Rosenborg players were extremely excited as they marched out of the Stade Maurice Dufrasne after hearing the final whistle.

Zachary, on his part, felt as if he was walking on clouds as he separated from his teammates and headed towards the referees to receive the match ball. He'd scored four goals during that match and thus helped his team take another crucial step towards qualifying for the next stage of the Europa League. So, he could hardly contain his happiness at that moment.

"Congratulations, young man," the referee said, shaking his hand as he held out the ball to Zachary with his other hand. "The match ball is rightfully yours since you managed to score a hat-trick plus one during today's game."

"Thanks, ref," Zachary replied in a polite tone as he received the ball from the referee. "And thanks again for doing a good job while refereeing today's game."

"You're welcome, young man," the referee said with a hearty chuckle. "You were also incredible today. Please keep on training hard so that we can witness more of your brilliance on the European stage. As long as you do that, the sky is the limit." The referee encouraged, patting Zachary's back.

"Thanks for your guidance, ref," Zachary said with a smile. "I'll take your advice to heart."

Zachary then exchanged a few extra polite words with the referee and his assistants before heading towards the press area for the post-match interview. He grinned from ear to ear when he found his old friend Olav Brusveen, the TV2 Sporten reporter, waiting for him there. The reporter had even traveled all the way to Liège to follow up on Rosenborg's performance. Zachary, of course, had a good feeling towards the passionate man of the press.

"Good evening, Zachary," Olav said with his signature professional smile as soon as he'd stepped before the cameras. "Thanks for hanging around to talk to us. First of all, congratulations! It's your first hat-trick on the European stage, Zachary. How does that feel?"

"I feel terrific, especially since I've just helped my team take another step forward in the Europa League," Zachary replied. "Scoring four goals during today's match is, of course, the icing on the cake."

Olav chuckled. "Zach! I have always regarded you as a pure attacking midfielder. However, today you managed to play strikingly so well upfront during a highly competitive Europa League match. You even made history and scored four goals to help your team crush Standard Liège. So, I need to ask. What's your favorite position? Do you prefer playing midfield or striking?"

"Well," Zachary said, caressing his chin. "I truly enjoy the feeling of playing as the control tower in midfield. That's because I can run at the defense, execute tackles, and even unleash deadly passes behind the backline, thus having a greater impact on the game."

"Oh!" Olav said, creasing his brows. "That's good to know, Zach. Please tell us what your next step is after winning today's game?"

"Of course, I'll continue training and trying my best to refine my skills so that I can put up much more dazzling performances in the upcoming games. Moreover, we'll face off against IF Elfsborg in our last group game scheduled for December 12th. That's just about two weeks from now. So, I can't relax in the slightest. I have to continue working hard so that I can put up a good performance during that game."

"So, can we expect another hat-trick from you during the match against Elfsborg?" Olav queried, creasing his brows.

"Do you think that scoring a hat-trick is as simple as eating?" Zachary replied with a chuckle. "Anyways, I can't promise that I'll score. But what you can expect is another good performance from Rosenborg. The whole team is brimming with boundless confidence at the moment. So, I'm hopeful that we'll be able to crush Elfsborg come December 12th. So, if you're a Rosenborg fan, you need to come and support us at Lerkendal on that day."

"Thanks again, Zachary, for staying back and talking to us," Olav said in a conclusive tone. "We wish you all the best as you prepare for the game against Elfsborg. Let's hope we'll see another commanding performance from Rosenborg on that day. Have a good night."

"Thank you too, Olav," Zachary said. "And good night to you too." He added before stepping away from the press area and heading towards the tunnel entrance. He was eager to join the rest of his teammates in the dressing room and continue the match victory celebrations. However, just as he was about to step into the tunnel, two Standard Liège players approached him.

"That was some incredible stuff from you, Zachary," Paul-José Mpoku, Standard Liège's attacking midfielder, said with a smile. He was pretty much friendly as he approached, probably because he was also from DR Congo like Zachary.

"You really disciplined us during the game," Michy Batshuayi, the other player who was also from Congo, chimed in. "Four goals in a single match! You're simply a monster."

Zachary laughed at that as he bumped fists with the two players. "It's great to see you here," he said. "How're you guys doing?"

"We're doing fine," Paul -José Mpoku was quick to reply. "Our bosses at Standard Liège treat us quite well. Maybe, you should transfer and join us here in Liège. I'm sure that we would accomplish a lot of things."

"No, thank you," Zachary replied, shaking his head. "I'll only join one of the big leagues in Europe after leaving Rosenborg. Or maybe, you guys could join me at Rosenborg. We could become good partners there and achieve greater things together."

"You're really humorous, Zachary," Michy Batshuayi said, shaking his head. "Jokes aside, we wanted to ask you whether you'll be representing DR Congo in the near future? Do you plan to play for our home nation, or will you join another country at a later stage?"

Zachary couldn't help but crease his brows on hearing the question. "I haven't decided on whether to represent our home country as of yet. But I should be able to make a decision concerning the issue within the next six months."

"Is that so!?" Mitchy said, nodding. "If you do happen to make a decision soon, please inform us. I will immediately commit myself to the DR Congo national team if you happen to decide to represent the country."

"Oh!" Zachary's heart skipped a beat as his eyes widened in surprise. "Why would you make such a big decision based on my choice? Why can't you follow your heart?"

Mitchy smiled while shaking his head. "Most of us Congolese refuse to represent our country because there's simply no foreseeable hope for our national football team to achieve any accolades internationally. But, if a player as talented as yourself were to join the national team, then that hope could be rekindled. As a result, your presence on the team would even sway many football stars with Congolese heritage worldwide and even attract them back to their roots. Then, there would be hope for us to build an exceptional squad that could even compete against the best teams in Africa and the world at large. Do you get my reasoning, Zachary?"

"Yes, I do," Zachary replied, nodding. "But I still won't make my decision regarding the issue as of yet. Please understand that this is a matter that I need to consider carefully. But if I happen to decide soon, I'll notify you immediately."

"That's good, then," Mitchy said. "We'll be looking forward to your decision. Thank you for your time, and have a good night."

"Goodnight to you, too!" Zachary replied.

**** ****