THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Emily shook her head, smiling wryly. "You've just played two games," she said. "Even though you've performed well, that shouldn't be enough for a company to go on and give you such a deal. It's kind of fishy when you think about it. So, I'm proposing we reject them right away."

"Moreover, I only agreed to meet with them on impulse after finding out that their representative was a Rosenborg executive. What was funny, though, was that he had a similar second name to mine."

"Who was it?" Zachary interjected, surprised by the fact that one of the club's executives was a representative of a betting company.

"It's someone called Johan Arne Anderson. The name further enticed me to meet with him—only to find out that he was a representative of BetNet international—and wanted to offer you a deal to become their ambassador."

"Johan Arne Anderson," Zachary mumbled, mulling over the name. "I've never heard of such a person being part of the club's management. But then, I don't know everyone at the club. He may be one of those working behind the scenes."

"He's should be," Emily intoned. "One of my colleagues has already confirmed this. There's no question about it. What I have doubts about is the company behind him. We wouldn't want you associating with any brands that may put your name through the mud at some point in the future. We're better off remaining broke for the moment than taking the risk."

"Well, that's true," Zachary said, smiling. "I concur with your proposition to avoid the betting company for now. I know that they pay well, but since your instincts are telling you to reject them—let's do it that way."

"I'm glad that you agree," Emily said, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "If my work ethics were not against keeping offers from you, I wouldn't have even mentioned it. I had even prepared a long speech to convince you to drop the deal. But, it seems I was worried over nothing."

Zachary beamed back at her. "So, what's the way forward?" He asked. "Should we take the deal from Red Bull? To be honest: I don't find it lucrative enough for me."

"I think so too," Emily replied, her voice slowly growing bubbly. "What we can do is wait for a while until you play more matches. Do you have the confidence to keep putting up exceptional performances for the next few games?"

Zachary sighed, shaking his head. "That I can't tell or promise. Football is the sort of game where you may find yourself underperforming in some matches. You can't maintain consistency throughout every fixture of the season. But I'm sure that as long as I keep getting set-piece opportunities, I can continue scoring even if I don't manage to perform well during matches."

"Then that's all that matters," Emily said with a sparkle in her blue eyes. "As long as you keep scoring for Rosenborg, your popularity will rise until those brands can't ignore you any longer. In the meantime, I'll initiate talks with Red Bull and start the initial phases of negotiations as we wait for you to grow your reputation here in Norway."

"That's a good plan." Zachary nodded. "Waiting is the best option, I think." He was already earning 400,000 NOK before bonuses each month. There was no need for him to rush into an endorsement deal that wasn't attractive enough.

"Before I forget," Zachary continued, inclining his head to lock eyes with Emily. "Is there any chance that you are good with cars?"

Emily sat bolt upright on hearing Zachary's question. "Did you finally decide to buy a vehicle for yourself?"

"Yes," Zachary confirmed, smiling. "I need something simple to move around Trondheim."

"I'm not an expert," Emily said, a feeble smile outlining her face. "But I have a friend who is good with cars. The good thing is that he is here in Norway."

"What does he do?"

"He is a professional race car driver." Emily beamed. "There are a few better informed than him when it comes to cars."

The corners of Zachary's mouth twitched slightly on hearing Emily's response. "I only need a car to move around Trondheim, not to go racing," he said, shaking his head. "Why bother a professional race car driver for that. Let's just forget it. I'll find another way."

"He's a simple person," Emily said, her voice taking on a seemingly imploring tone. "Moreover, buying cars is what he enjoys most. So, don't worry. You won't be putting any burden on him."

"Just forget it," Zachary said, his tone firm. "By the way, let me give you the match tickets before I forget." He added, fishing a small brown envelope from his gym bag.

"Did the club give you a lot of tickets?" Emily inquired, looking at Zachary's bag with a glitter in her eyes.

"They gave me twelve this time around," Zachary replied. "That's because this is my first home game for Rosenborg. Otherwise, I would have received only six like the rest of my teammates."

"That's great," Emily said excitedly. "Can you give me four? I have a few friends who would like to attend your game today evening?"

"Just take these away," Zachary replied, handing her the printed tickets. "I only need six for a few friends of mine. The rest, I was going to give them away on the bus to Lerkendal after here."

"Then give me the six. I do have use for the tickets."

"Okay," Zachary concurred, giving her two more printed tickets. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. I'm heading to Lerkendal now to start my match preparations."

"Okay," Emily said, a soft smile outlining her face. "I wish you luck in your game. Go, score so that we can make more money—sorry so that you can win the Tippeligaen."

Zachary creased a brow, wondering whether all agents were the same—always thinking about money. But he didn't dwell on the point since his agent was doing her best to earn him some cash. So, they said their goodbyes, and Zachary left for Lerkendal. Along the way, he didn't forget to call Kasongo and the rest of his friends to pick up their tickets before 1:00 PM that day.

After that, he relaxed and settled into Rosenborg's pre-match condition routine at Lerkendal while eagerly awaiting 7:00 PM—when he would play his first home game for Rosenborg.

****    ****

When Zachary was starting his pre-match conditioning routine at Lerkendal, one of the officials in one of Rosenborg's top offices at Brakka received a call. He was Johan Arne Anderson, the BetNet representative that'd offered Emily an endorsement deal.

Johan picked up the phone and glanced at the screen before smiling to himself. "Did they take our bait?" He mumbled to himself before picking up the call.

"Hello Miss Anderson," he spoke into the phone. "It's nice to hear from you so soon. Did you consider?"

"I pitched the offer to my client, but he didn't agree," Emily replied politely, getting straight to the point. "He says that he wants to focus solely on football without thinking about anything else. So, he won't be entering any endorsement deals any time soon."

"You wish to turn down such an offer without even any negotiation?" Johan inquired, his voice rising slightly. "You know we are willing to adjust the terms to fit the client better."

"It's not about the terms," Emily countered from the other end of the line. "My client only wishes to develop his skills first before anything else. You should be happy about that since he's playing for your team. Right?"

"Yes, of course, I'm glad that such a player is on our team," Johan replied, keeping his voice steady. "That's why I'm even working hard to find him a good endorsement deal so that he can be more comfortable on the team."

"Oh," Emily said. "Then you don't have to worry. He's quite comfortable at the moment. You can see that from the way he's performing. But nevertheless, thank you for the offer. Goodbye." She ended the call right after.

Johan glanced at his phone for a moment before throwing it against the wall. He balled his fists, taking in deep breaths before straightening his tie and sitting down in one of the sofas in his office. But despite his efforts to calm himself down, he was still furious at the agent. She'd turned him down without any negotiation. He wondered whether the sum offered had not been to Zachary's liking, but that didn't make sense. He'd made an offer that most mid-level players in the Tippeligaen would find hard to reject.

"Let's start by increasing the offer and see what happens?" He mumbled, smiling like a rogue. "Money is usually the best solution for simple challenges."

Johan had to find a solution to get Zachary's signature as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would face it rough when he met with the rest of his colleagues.

****    ****