THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary left Camilla's place the following morning, feeling refreshed and charged with boundless energy. He felt like he'd just returned from another vacation. So, he didn't waste time immersing himself back into an intensive practice routine to prepare for the game against Sogndal.

For the next few days, he focused solely on training and forgot all other distractions and pastimes. As a supplement to the official team sessions, he continued jogging five kilometers in the morning and refining his shooting in the evening. He also didn't forget to practice within the system simulator's virtual world to hone his dribbling and set-piece skills. He was the living definition of an exercise maniac — to the point that some of the coaches expressed worry about his schedule.

"Zachary," Coach Henriksen called out to him as he was practicing his set-piece technique on the Saturday evening before the match against Sogndal. "I think you've already practiced enough. You should go home and rest so that you can be at your best during tomorrow's game. You'll burn yourself out if you don't take rest seriously."

"Don't worry, coach," he replied, dispatching another curling free-kick over the training mannequins — towards the empty goal. "I only need to shoot ten more balls to finish my practice for the day. So, I'll be resting very soon." He added, smiling and nodding to himself after the ball had homed into the back of the net.

He was obviously not worried that he would burn himself out because of the simple free-kick training. He'd already consumed a weekly dosage of a B-graded physical conditioning elixir. So, he was brimming with what seemed like an endless amount of energy at that moment. Besides, his stamina and endurance had already made breakthroughs to the S- grading. He was sure he could handle a few extra hours of training each day.

**** ****

Coach Henriksen, the assistant head coach of Rosenborg, could only sigh and shake his head after hearing Zachary's response. The young Maestro was talented and highly motivated for sure. But he also had a weakness of immersing himself in training and forgetting about his resting schedule. Out of the entire squad, he spent the most time on the playing ground, practicing simple routines over and over again for hours.

That evening was no different.

Coach Johansen had conducted the pre-match tactical meeting earlier that day to give the players plenty of time to rest before the match the following evening. However, Zachary had gone ahead and utilized that time for free kick practice. He seemed to have even forgotten he was part of the starting line for the upcoming game that was only hours away.

Coach Henriksen was worried Rosenborg's best player would injure himself if he didn't tone down his training. So, he decided to bring up the issue to the head coach when they'd just concluded a planning meeting the following morning.

"Let him be," Coach Johansen replied after hearing him out. "I've observed Zachary from his academy days, and I'm sure that he has got an almost total awareness of the functioning of his body. So, if he's putting in a few more hours of free-kick training, it means he can handle it. So, don't worry too much about him."

"Oh," Coach Henriksen said, sighing. He'd done his part and informed the coach of a potential problem. If he didn't want to address it, there was nothing that he could do.

"Zachary's issue aside," he continued before the coach could rush off back to his office. "There are three promising young players on the under-19 squad. We should assess them to see if they are ready to join the senior team."

That stopped the head coach in his tracks. "Who are they?" he asked, turning around to give Coach Henriksen his full attention once again.

"One is an African called Kasongo Paul," Coach Henriksen replied right away. "The other two are brothers from Sweden. They go by the names of Paul and Kendrick Otterson."

"Oh," Coach Johansen said, smiling. "Those are Zachary's friends. But they were not as hard-working and talented as he was during their academy days. Have they finally shaped up into skilled players after joining the under-19 team?"

The corners of Coach Henriksen's mouth could not help but twitch slightly on hearing the head coach's remarks. He wondered how the coach could compare any other young player with a monster such as Zachary. That was pure madness for sure.

"The three of them have been phenomenal over the past few months," he said with a smile after a moment. "Kasongo possesses great pace on the flanks and will mature into a very talented winger in the near future. He has scored four goals and made six assists since his debut for the under-19 team."

"Kendrick Otterson, the goalkeeper, managed to seal his position as the starting goalkeeper for the under-19s right after his debut," he continued without giving Coach Johansen a chance to interject. "He has incredible reflexes that make him very exceptional in goal. You need to see him for yourself in action to understand what I mean."

"Paul Otterson seems to be the least talented of the three on paper. But after watching a few of his performances, I discovered something delightful. He has a great sense of positioning, especially in the box. He's a natural number-9. He gives me similar vibes to those of a player like Ruud Van Nistelrooy on the pitch. He's a bit laid back, yes, but he's a phenomenal finisher."

"Oh, that's great news," Coach Johansen said, his face morphing into a smile. "Let's do it like this. You can go ahead and continue assessing their performances over the course of this month. If they maintain their form throughout the entire month, I'll give them a chance to train with the first team."

"That's a good call," Coach Henriksen said, nodding and grinning. "I'll go ahead and inform the under-19 coach to give them plenty of opportunities during this month."

"Good."

"There is one more thing, Coach Johansen," Coach Henriksen continued. "How far with the acquisition of new defenders? Are you making any progress in the transfer market?"

"Yes, there's some considerable progress," Coach Johansen said, grinning. "Four talented young players will be joining our ranks very soon. I can't be sure exactly when, but they've promised to arrive in Trondheim by the third week of August. So, we can finally say goodbye to our defensive struggles."

"Oh," Coach Henriksen said, eyes widening. "Those are some lightning-fast transfer deals. Are the players really talented?"

Coach Johansen smiled. "From what I have seen, they'll surely boost our defensive capabilities in a short while. I've got no doubt about their skills and talents."

"Then that's some good news," Coach Henriksen said, nodding. "I'm glad you managed to find them. That puts my heart at ease."

"Okay, if there's nothing else, I'll have to head back to the office and do some work," Coach Johansen said. "In the meantime, you can take charge and make sure everything is in order for the match against Sogndal today evening."

"Don't worry, and just focus on your work," Coach Henriksen replied with a smile. "I'll ensure that everything is in order as soon as possible."

**** ****

That very Sunday evening at six, Zachary and his teammates welcomed Sogndal Idrettslag at Lerkendal for the 18th match of the Tippeligaen season.

Zachary was surprised by the passion of the fans as he walked out of the tunnel onto the pitch. They were already going crazy and singing popular Rosenborg victory chants even before the commencement of the game. He couldn't help but feel sorry for his opponents, the Sogndal players, who had to play under such a hostile atmosphere.

"Please give a round of applause for Zachary Bemba, the best player for the month of July," the commentator announced right after the teams had finished exchanging handshakes in the middle of the pitch. "He will be receiving his bronze statuette from the Norsk Toppfotball officials before the kick-off today."

"Zachary, *Clap*Clap*, Zachary, *Clap*Clap*, Zachary, *Clap*Clap..."

The fans became even more animated after hearing the announcement. They chanted Zachary's name at the top of their lungs and clapped their hands rhythmically like there was no tomorrow. For the next minute, it was sheer madness in the stands occupied by the Rosenborg supporters.

Zachary was intoxicated with joy when he took in their cheers. Even in the center of the playing field, he could feel their passion and intensity as they chanted his name. So, he waved at them before slowly making his way to the sidelines to receive his award.

"Congratulations upon your amazing July performance," an aged man that Zachary couldn't recognize said after handing him the player of the month bronze statuette. "Keep up the good work, and you'll soon rise to great heights." The man patted his back.

"Thank you," Zachary replied, receiving the prize. He posed with the aged man and the bronze statuette for a few photographs. Without wasting a second, he handed his award to one of the coaching assistants for safekeeping before jogging back to his attacking midfield position on the pitch.

"Congratulations, Zachary," Nicki Nielsen said after walking up to his position right outside the center circle in Rosenborg's half. "You deserve the award as you were beyond incredible during July."

"Thank you,' Zachary responded with a smile.

"But you know one thing, Zachary," Nicki said, grinning like a rogue.

"Yes," Zachary replied, raising a brow.

"They say that every player who receives a best of something award will have a below-par performance immediately after," Nicki continued with a bit of humor. "That's unless the athlete first moves around his home team's ground dancing with his award. So, you better do the same — if you don't wish to lose your form during today's game."

"Go away and don't jinx my game," Zachary said, raising his leg as if he wanted to kick the Rosenborg number-9.

Nicki laughed, jumping away from Zachary. "Don't say that I didn't warn you," he said, still grinning and stepping further away. "I'm only looking out for you, man."

"Just return to your position and leave me alone, man," Zachary said, shaking his head. "Those superstitions don't work on me. I'm sure I'll play like usual."