THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

After Zachary departed from Coach Johansen's office, he quickly cleaned up and had a simple dinner at the canteen. After having his fill of smoked salmon, vegetables, and pasta, he headed to the tactics room feeling reinvigorated, his hunger sated.

The pre-match tactical briefing started a few minutes after he arrived. As usual, Coach Johansen began going over every detail of the game plan for the match against Hönefoss BK. He took his time explaining even the smallest of things, be it the positioning of the players, how to take corners, and how to shape up into the 4-3-3 formation on the pitch.

Coach Johansen stayed true to his word and left Zachary out of the starting eleven when he named the line-up. But what comforted Zachary was that the coach had even benched both Mike Jensen and Tobias Mikkelsen—the other players who'd been performing very well during training. That implied the coach was indeed rotating the squad in preparation for matches ahead.

Zachary left the tactics room at 9:00 PM with a light heart after the coach's address. His mood had lifted on verifying that the coach was only resting him to prepare for the next game rather than some other bias.

After exchanging a few words with his teammates, he got into his R8 GT and cruised out of Lerkendal. He drove under the blanket of stars looming over Trondheim City, the headlights illuminating the way ahead. He could feel the firm grip of the car's new treads on the blacktop. He accelerated a bit and rushed through the roads like the wind, traveling towards Stjørdalsveien, the place he'd come to call home for the past few months.

As he steered the car around a corner and joined the lane heading to his apartment building a few minutes later, a feeling of happiness swelled within him. He'd already begun reaping the benefits of possessing his own private means of transportation. The journey back to his apartment that had previously taken him 30-45 minutes by bus—only took him a little over 12 minutes in his new car.

A short while later, Zachary packed his car in front of his apartment building and began to slowly ascend the stairs, heading towards his home on the sixth floor. But along the way, he ran into Kristin, dressed casually in baggy pants, with two plastic garbage bags in her hands. She seemed to be taking out the trash from her apartment.

"You're back very late," she said when she was still a few paces away from Zachary. "Personal training?" She probed, flashing Zachary a smile.

"No," Zachary replied, smiling back at her. "There was a pre-match tactical briefing since we'll be playing an away game against Hønefoss Ballklubb tomorrow. I rushed here as soon as the meeting was over."

"Oh," Kristin said, placing the garbage bags on the stairs. "I'm sure that you'll win against Hønefoss. You'll even emerge victorious in the next game against Sarpsborg 08. But what worries me is the game against Molde after those two fixtures. Do you feel confident enough to guarantee Rosenborg's win against them? We need revenge since they knocked us out of the Cupen last year."

Zachary sighed. "If they play the same way they have been playing since the start of this season, then there's no need to fear them. Moreover, we'll be at Lerkendal this time around. So, they should be the ones getting scared, not us."

"That's great," Kristin said, beaming. "I'll be rooting for you in the stands. And before I forget, my grandpa was hoping you'd visit him. Do you think you can accompany me to his place in Bergen, maybe at the start of June when there's a break in the season fixtures?"

"That may not be possible," Zachary said, shaking his head. "I'll be back home in DR Congo by then for my holiday. So, we can either go and see him a bit sooner or wait until I return from my vacation. That'll be at the end of June."

"Then, why not go, visit him sooner rather than later," Kristin said. "We could go on May 21st, the day after your match with Molde. We can fly to Bergen and be at his place early in the morning. That way, we'll be able to return to Trondheim by nightfall."

"That should be okay, I guess," Zachary said, nodding. "We usually have a day off after games. So, I think we can use that time as long as we come back that same day."

"Of course, we'll be able to come back the same day," Kristin said, beaming. "I'll be informing my grandpa about our visit. So, please don't forget."

"I won't forget," Zachary intoned solemnly. "You have my word."

"That's great, then," Kristin said. "But since you have a match tomorrow, let me say good night and leave you to rest. Good luck in your game." She added, beginning to pick up the garbage bags from the floor.

"Thank you," Zachary replied, smiling back at her. "Do you need help with that?" He queried, pointing at the plastic bags in her hands.

"Not at all," Kristin replied, her voice firm. "I can handle this myself since the dumpster is only a few meters away from the building. You, on the other hand, should focus on resting and preparing for tomorrow's game. How are you moving to Hönefoss, by the way? Bus or plane?"

"We'll go by plane this time around," Zachary replied. "So, we'll be flying out by around noon tomorrow."

"Then I believe it's high time I say good night to you," Kristin said, the corner of her lips lifting into a soft, radiant smile. "I wish you all the best in your match tomorrow. I'll not be attending, but I'll still follow the game on TV."

"Thank you," Zachary said, returning her smile. "And good night to you too." He added before walking past her and continuing to ascend the stairs to the sixth floor.

A few minutes later, he was already safely in the confines of his living room. He went through his customary pre-bedtime yoga routine before eating a light snack and heading to bed for the night. Although he was on the bench for the match against Hønefoss Ballklubb the following day, he needed to rest early. That way, he would be ready if the coach needed him to enter the game as a substitute.

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The next day, Zachary traveled together with his teammates who'd made Coach Johansen's squad to Hønefoss town in the southern part of Norway. They arrived at Hønefoss Airport, Eggemoen, at around three in the afternoon. Without any dilly-dallying, they got on to a bus and headed to a nearby training ground.

When they arrived, they went through a light session of pre-match fitness drills under the guidance of Rolf Aas, the fitness coach. As usual, he was very strict and didn't allow any players to relax during the session. Whether it was leg-lifting, lunges, or full sprints—he watched Zachary and his teammates with undivided attention. If any player dared to slacken, he would give him a mouthful of a lecture without mincing his words.

That way, the minutes and hours quickly flashed by—and soon, it was almost 6:00 PM. Zachary and his teammates concluded their light training session before heading to Aka Arena for the game against Hønefoss.

****    ****