THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Coach Johansen was still in a state of amazement as he watched Zachary step out of his office after their brief chat. He couldn't just come to terms with the fact that his best player had also taken on the role of a club scout.

When Zachary had first disclosed the information about the four players, he'd taken him lightly. He found it almost unbelievable that a young eighteen-year-old player could discover four incredible young talents by watching some football videos.

But he started having second thoughts after recalling the sort of superhuman capabilities and vision the young Maestro possessed on the playing field.

It was a no-brainer that a footballer of Zachary's caliber would have very high standards when looking upon the talents of others. The players he considered gifted were sure to be phenomenal or unique in some aspects. So, he decided to check out the list before putting the whole issue to bed.

Without further ado, he immediately contacted his friends in Barcelona to send him some information about Eric Bailly, the first player on Zachary's list. He was a center-back playing for the Espanyol-B side in the Segunda División-B League at that moment. So, his friends managed to find a sufficient amount of data, including some match videos of the young player in action promptly. They managed to forward it to him even before he could leave his office that very evening.

"Let's get this over with," Coach Johansen mumbled as he opened the email with Eric Bailly's data. Some of his contacts in Barcelona had already mentioned that the center back was only nineteen years old and thus inexperienced. That was a downer for the coach since young defenders were always impulsive and prone to making mistakes when the stakes were high. So, he didn't expect much as he clicked on the dropbox attachment containing all the digital files.

However, after a few minutes of watching the videos and reading through Eric Bailly's profile, he cast away all the negative thoughts.

He was stunned, speechless.

Eric Bailly was as good as Zachary had described. He was solid in defense and with an incredible work rate that could rival that of the most experienced defenders in Europe. He was, without a doubt, the sort of player that could immediately bolster Rosenborg's defense.

Coach Johansen was determined to have his signature if Espanyol could agree to sell him. So, without any dilly-dallying, he contacted one of the Rosenborg scouts and sent him to Spain on a mission to initiate talks with the defender.

But he didn't stop at that. He quickly looked through the information of the other three young players on the list and sent scouts after them the following morning. He didn't rest easy until he'd made sure that all the Rosenborg scouts had set off and were well on their way to negotiate with the four players. He then crossed his fingers and started waiting for the results while also preparing for the Europa League Qualification match against Crusaders Football Club.

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On one of the training grounds of the Espanyol reserves team in Barcelona, Spain, a young African man had just finished his personal training for the day. After gulping down some water to sate his thirst, he cast his gaze above, at the setting sun, that seemed to be mocking him, and then shook his head. He was feeling a bit low at that moment since he hadn't managed to make it to the senior team for another season.

He'd put everything into his training, even going ahead to practice eight hours a day during the off-season. But the coaches were still not considering him even for the starting eleven on the reserves team. "Eric, you're still not yet ready," they would often say. "Be patient and stay true to your training. You'll eventually get your chance."

Eric Bailly was starting to grow frustrated by the statement.

Be that as it may, he didn't dare complain to any of the coaches. Despite not making it to the senior team, he was still earning an ample sum of money as a salary from Espanyol. That was enough to keep him quiet and patient until he could get a chance to showcase his talents.

"Eric," he heard someone call out to him while he was still thinking about life in general. "There you are," the familiar voice continued. "I was looking all over for you. Why aren't you picking up your phone?"

Eric Bailly turned around at a leisurely pace to face Graziano Battistini, his agent. "I was training and didn't have my phone with me," he said, smiling at the man in a suit. "Sorry about that."

"Well, no matter," his agent said, nodding. "How is your training going, and how are you doing?"

"I'm okay, and training is going on well," he said, maintaining a polite smile. "But why are you here? I'm guessing that you're not here to discuss my personal training. Are you?"

"I have some hopeful news," the agent said, smiling. "But should we find somewhere to sit before we can discuss?"

"Here is fine," he replied, suppressing his excitement. "So, go ahead and shoot."

"Okay," the agent said, nodding. "I'm just from a meeting with a representative from a club called Rosenborg in Norway. The club is interested in signing you and offering you regular first-team football."

"A team from Norway!" Eric mumbled, frowning slightly as his mood soured. He couldn't believe that his agent had brought him an offer from a team from some unknown league. He would rather stay in the Espanyol reserves team until he got the opportunity to join the senior team.

"Don't be quick to make a decision," his agent said hurriedly after seemingly reading his mind. "I also had that very same reaction when I first heard that Rosenborg was interested in you. But the representative managed to sway my mind after promising me that you would play regular first-team football and even participate in the Europa League."

"The club is playing in the Europa League!" Eric exclaimed, matching his agent's gaze. "How come I haven't heard much about this Rosenborg then?"

"Rosenborg usually qualifies for the Europa League," the agent said, sighing. "But the only problem is that it usually gets eliminated quite early on — even before the group stages."

"Oh," Eric said, frowning.

"But the Rosenborg representative managed to convince me that things will be different this season," the agent continued. "He showed me some videos of the highlights for their past few matches. That's when I immediately decided to contact you."

"So, you believe they will go far in the Europa League this season?" Eric asked, raising a brow.

"Yes, and that's why I'm here," the agent replied matter-of-factly. "I'm telling you, Eric, you've got to watch those highlights of Rosenborg. They have a ridiculous young player on their squad — the kind that is sure to win many matches if he has a good defense on his team. I don't even understand what he's doing in such a small team. You need to watch those videos first, Eric. You'll understand what I mean."

"Okay," Eric said, nodding. "Did you bring the videos with you?"

"Of course, I did," the agent replied, smiling. "I even brought the match data of that ridiculous player. We only need someplace quiet to go through them."

"Okay, then," Eric said. "We can watch from a nearby cafe."

"Good."

A few minutes later, the two of them were huddled together before a laptop screen, watching Zachary's highlights for the months of May, June, and July. They both almost jumped from their seats when they watched Zachary score the goal from a back-volley and then sighed at his insane rate of converting set-pieces. They reacted like people watching the most thrilling blockbuster movie in the world when they moved on to his July performance. They were beyond shocked by Zachary's prowess.

"I want to join this club," Eric Bailly said after they'd finished watching some of the videos. "But it has to be on condition that this Zachary is still on the team. Otherwise, I won't even consider it."

"Don't worry about that," the agent replied, grinning. "I even talked to the Rosenborg coach at length over the phone. He assured me that Zachary Bemba has promised to stay at Rosenborg for quite some time. Moreover, we'll add a clause that will void the agreement between you and Rosenborg in case Zachary leaves the team."

"Oh," Eric said, nodding. "Then go ahead and negotiate the deal. But what about my contract with Espanyol? How are we going to handle it?"

"Don't worry about that," the agent said. "I already talked to the sporting director about your situation. He says that you can transfer as long as Rosenborg can offer the right price."

"Then good," Eric said, nodding. "Then you know what to do. My terms are very few, as my sole aim is to obtain some exposure by playing for Rosenborg. One is regular first-team football, and two is plenty of playing time in the Europa League. For the salary, you can negotiate as you see fit."

"Okay then," the agent said, nodding. "I will go ahead and initiate the process. But you better start getting prepared for the medical. I have a feeling that this will be a swift deal."

"I'm always ready for any medicals," Eric said, giving his agent a sideways glance. "So, go ahead and negotiate the deal. Don't worry about anything else."

"Okay."

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In a few other parts of the world, similar scenes were taking place as the Rosenborg scouts used nearly the same tactics to engage the agents of the young players. First, they would show them the match videos of Zachary and his insane match statistics to cultivate their interest in Rosenborg. Then, they would go in for the kill by promising them regular first-team football plus Europa League action. As a result, they'd made considerable progress in signing the four young players on Zachary's list even by the end of that very day.

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