THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Dusk approached and slowly began creeping over the bustling city of Trondheim. The setting sun seemed to have ignited the sparse clouds, painting Lerkendal Stadium in a multitude of crisscrossing dreamy colors.

It was still 3:56 PM, with more than two hours left to the scheduled start of Rosenborg's game against Viking Stavanger. However, an immense crowd had already flooded Lerkendal, filling up the seats within the stands of the home ground of Rosenborg Ballklub. The home section of the stadium was already like a sea of people in black and white colors, singing and cheering at the top of their voices like there was no tomorrow.

Kristin Stein swept her gaze over the passionate supporters around her — and then over the Rosenborg players warming up on the pitch until her eyes rested on Zachary. She couldn't help but smile as her mood lightened. 'Thank God he managed to recover before the end of the season without any issues,' she mused.

Rosenborg's chances of winning the trophy that night had increased considerably due to Zachary's return. There was little to no chance that the Troll Kids would lose the upcoming game with the phenomenal number-33 back on the starting line-up.

"It has been a while since I last watched a live Rosenborg game," Emily Anderson, Zachary's agent, said from beside her. She, too, was in Rosenborg's colors, looking pretty in a long-sleeved white top, a black and white scarf, and a chic Rosenborg cap. "I see quite a number of new faces," she continued without a pause, casting her gaze onto the pitch — towards Zachary's position. "Who are the two black players standing with Zachary?"

A soft smile lit up Kristin's face on hearing her question. She'd grown close to Emily over the previous few months of working as Zachary's publicity secretary. She respected her as a football agent and enjoyed her company as an acquaintance.

"One is Thomas Partey, a very talented defensive midfielder," Kristin replied. "The other is Eric Bailly, an incredible defender. The two of them have managed to capture the hearts of the Rosenborg supporters within just two months of making their debut. They are truly phenomenal players, the likes that will go ways later in their respective careers."

"Oh," Emily said, raising a brow. "How talented are they? Are they on a level similar to that of Zachary?"

"Nah," Kristin replied, shaking her head. "Zachary is in his own world regarding skills and talent. However, you shouldn't belittle the two of them. Thomas Partey is just 20 years of age. However, he has already made it into the top defensive midfielders in the Norwegian League this season. The other player, Eric Bailly, seems to be even more talented. He's just 19 years, but he has already put up several great performances and successfully defended against a few top forwards in the Norwegian League. He is like an impenetrable bastion on the defense."

"It seems Coach Johansen is pretty good at spotting talented young players," Emily remarked, seemingly deep in thought.

"He sure is," Kristin chipped in, sighing. "Aside from those two, he also managed to sign two more talented young defenders during the mid-season transfer window. They have also been doing great over the previous two months."

"He managed to sign four talented young players in a single go!" Emily exclaimed, her eyes widening. "He's quite something, then. Rosenborg will surely go ways with him as a coach. And maybe, I should try getting some scouting advice from him."

Kristin nodded in agreement. Like the rest of the Rosenborg fans, she'd also been shocked by Coach Johansen's insight. He'd gone against most of the Rosenborg executives to sign four unknown players. Yet, in only two months, those insignificant players had performed beyond expectations and captured the hearts of most of the Rosenborg fans. It was a marvelous feat in the highly commercialized modern football landscape.

Coach Johansen's shrewdness when scouting players was remarkable. Kristin truly admired his vision, especially since she, too, was aspiring to become a professional scout in the future.

"Let me take this opportunity to welcome everyone to Lerkendal Stadion," Kristin heard Kjell Roar, the commentator for the day, yell out loud a short while later. His voice was loud and clear through the stadium's loudspeakers. "Welcome, everyone. I hope you're all having a great evening and ready for some football action! It's match-day twenty-nine. The Troll Kids are about to go up against Viking Stavanger in the second last game of this year's Tippeligaen season."

"I'm looking forward to the start of the match since today might be the climax of Rosenborg's season," the commentator continued without a pause. "The Troll Kids only need a draw to become the Norwegian Champions in today's fixture. They are at 65 points, five ahead of second-placed Strømsgodset. With one more point, they'll win the league with a game to go before the end of the season. And the good news is that Zachary Bemba, the talented young number-33, is back on the starting line-up after taking off two months to recover from a thigh injury."

"Harald! What is your take on this match? Do you think the Troll Kids can pick up the needed point and become the 2013 Norwegian champions today night?"

"Well," Harald Brattbakk, the pundit for the day, began. "The Troll Kids should be more motivated than ever to win this game. They will surely want to end the season early. Let's not forget that they still have to play three more games in the Europa League and then face off against Molde in the Norwegian Cup final before the end of the year. So, I'm sure they'll do their utmost to win against Viking in today's game. Moreover, I can't just picture any chance of Rosenborg losing with Zachary back on the starting line-up. That's almost an impossibility."

"So, your prediction is a win for Rosenborg, then?" Kjell Roar queried.

"Yes," Harald replied in a confident tone. "My prediction is 2:1 in favor of Rosenborg."

"Hehe," Kjell Roar chuckled, seemingly amused. "Pray that you're right. Otherwise, hmm."

"I should be right this time," Harald said with a solemn tone. "The score might not be the correct one. But this is a match that Rosenborg will win for sure."

"Let's talk about Zachary, then," Kjell Roar intoned after a short break. "We all know that the young prodigy has been out of action for an entire two months with a thigh injury. Today is the night of his comeback. He is back on the starting line-up and will surely be looking to score and force his way to the top of the list of the Golden Boot contenders again. He has already managed to net 18 goals during this Tippeligaen season. Should he score one more, he'll tie with Frode Johnsen, the current top scorer. Harald! Do you see this happening? Can Zachary Bemba regain his form and score his 19th goal in the Tippeligaen this season?"

"That is a question I can't answer," Harald Brattbakk, the pundit, said with an audible sigh. "Zachary has missed out on a lot of action over the past two months. So, I'm guessing he'll most likely not be at his best in today's game. But I might be wrong."

"Oh, why?" Kjell Roar chipped in.

"The reason is simple," Harald, the pundit, replied. "I have learned never to judge players like Zachary with simple common sense after a number of experiences. Zachary is a brilliant player who can easily create miracles on the pitch. Maybe, he might return with a bang in today's match and end up scoring a brace to help Rosenborg clinch the title. But we can't know for sure until we see him perform in the opening minutes of this game."

"I have to disagree with you on that point," Kjell Roar chimed in once again. "I, for one, believe that Zachary isn't ready to return to the starting line-up. He should be rusty since he has been away for two months. If I were Coach Johansen, I would have placed Zachary among the substitutes today. I would only give him a few minutes of playing time — to ensure that he takes the necessary baby steps to regain his match fitness and form. That would be the right way of doing things to ensure that our young prodigy regains his confidence at a slow but steady rate without taking any unnecessary risks."

"But I just don't know what is up with our friend, Coach Johansen," the commentator continued. "Why the rush? Why is he in a hurry to play Zachary even when he has just recovered from an injury? Zachary's return to the starting eleven is a bit too hurried for sure. So, I'm guessing he'll underperform in today's fixture."

"You might be right with your analysis," Harald said after a short pause. "But as I already mentioned, you can't judge Zachary by normal standards. He is the sort of player who's an outlier. He's a hardworking and brilliant athlete that can perform beyond expectations even when the odds are stacked against him. The coach must have his reasons for placing him on the starting line-up. So, we can only wait and see how he performs after kick-off."

"Then, let's wait and see."

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Kjell Jonevret, the head coach of Viking Stavanger, swept his gaze across all the players in the visitor's dressing room before nodding to himself in satisfaction. They were all waiting eagerly for his pre-match address. He could tell that they were highly motivated and ready to face off against the tricky Rosenborg side.

"In a few minutes, we'll clash against Rosenborg," he began with a smile. "I won't bother to go through most of the tactics once again. I've been talking about the game plan on replay over the past few days. By now, all of you should be very familiar with the tactics. So, I'll only touch upon a few crucial points before sending you to the pitch for the game."

"First," he continued, stroking his chin. "You've got to play this game as if your lives depend on it. We can't just allow Rosenborg to trample all over us so that they can become champions. We have to put up a fight and give them a game of their lives. So, I want all of you to display two hundred percent in today's match. Play as a team, and we'll surely succeed and defeat Rosenborg here at Lerkendal."

"Second, I want our two holding midfielders to give some tough love to that Zachary Bemba. Please, make sure that you don't allow him any space within our final third. Be aggressive and close him down quickly whenever he receives the ball. Mark him tightly, and we'll be able to nip all Rosenborg's attacks in the bud. Moreover, there isn't much that he can do since he has just returned from an injury. Thus it should be quite easy for you two to mark him. Are we together, Christian and André?"

"Yes, coach," the two defensive midfielders replied.

The coach nodded before sweeping his gaze around the dressing room again. "Third," he said. "Try your best to limit their crosses into our box. You have to stay calm and make first-time clearances whenever there is an attack on our goal. Additionally, our center-backs must mark Nicki Nielsen, the Rosenborg center-forward, tightly since he'll be the key man in this game. If we freeze him, we'll limit Rosenborg's chances to score to the bare minimum. That way, we'll create time for ourselves to settle into the game and then launch our counters against Rosenborg. That's all. Are we together, guys?"

"Yes, coach."

Coach Kjell Jonevret nodded. "Then, let's go out there and give Rosenborg a game they'll never forget. Let's play to our heart's content and frustrate them to the best of our abilities. And above all, let's enjoy the game."  He smiled, clapping his hands to motivate his players further.

****    ****