THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary exited his apartment after feasting on a late sumptuous breakfast that morning. A few minutes later, he was nestled in his R8 GT and well on his way to the Lerkendal gym to continue his training. He navigated the late morning traffic at a steady and unhurried pace, pondering his training priorities for the upcoming few months.

His long-term target was leveling up his core attributes, including strength, body control, and agility, to the S-grading, preferably before the forthcoming season. That would put him in the perfect position to perform better and much more consistently while minimizing the risk of injury throughout the entire season. To achieve that goal, he'd even hired a professional fitness coach to guide his training over the course of the following few months.

As a professional, Zachary had long understood that football was an intensive sport that involved a great deal of running. A first-rate midfielder like the future N'Golo Kanté could cover a distance of 10 to 13 km, including a great deal of sprinting, during particularly intense matches. So, Zachary had long tuned his training priorities towards the technical aspects of the game while also focusing on improving his cardio levels. As long as he wasn't injured, he would never miss out on going through agility or endurance drills, even on the most hectic of days. That had helped improve his skills and fitness at an insane rate over the previous two years.

With such a prodigious rate of improvement, he had previously not seen any need to alter his training regimen or hire a professional trainer. He'd been self-assured right until the moment he suffered an injury two months prior. Right after that, he'd realized that his training regimen was inadequate for the professional level.

Zachary had finally been forced to admit that he lacked the technical know-how to design a training regimen involving carefully planned measures to reduce the risk of injury. Thus, hiring a fitness trainer was the first thing he'd done after his recovery. He was on his way to meet the trainer that late morning.

A few minutes later, he carefully steered his R8 GT in one of the allotted parking spaces for official team players at the Lerkendal parking lot. Without dilly-dallying, he picked up his gym bag from the boot and made his way to the gym at a steady pace.

The time had already clocked half-past eleven, and the late morning sun was already shining brightly upon the nearly empty majestic Lerkendal Stadium. The autumn weather was simply perfect as the temperatures were not that extreme. It was neither too hot nor too cold. Zachary could not help but slow down slightly to appreciate the great weather and the sights around him.

"How's your morning, Zachary?"

"Zachary, congratulations upon winning the first trophy with Rosenborg..."

The Rosenborg employees working on the pitch greeted him with zest wherever he passed. There was an unmasked air of euphoria about them after Rosenborg's league victory the previous night. Almost everyone wore grins from ear to ear, taking some time off from their duties to exchange a few words with him.

Zachary didn't dare ignore them since he respected their efforts that kept the pitch in perfect condition all year round. He responded to their salutations with polite words and occasionally took the time to sign a few autographs before continuing on his way.

He made it to the gym a few minutes later. As soon as he'd stepped into the free weights section of the gym, he realized that Coach Bjørn Peters, his new fitness coach, was already waiting for him.

Coach Bjørn Peters looked just the way he remembered him from his academy days. He was the typical Caucasian of middling height, with blond hair atop an angular face. His pronounced jawline, coupled with deep-set blue eyes, gave him an austere look that reminded Zachary of the famous actor Dolph Lundgren. He was the assistant coach for the NF Academy and also one of the most reputable professional fitness trainers in Trondheim. Zachary had coughed out a lot of cash to reserve his services for the following few months.

"Good morning, coach," Zachary nodded with a smile.

"Good morning, Zachary!" The coach replied, smiling and giving him a once-over. "Congratulations upon winning the league. I'm truly happy for you. You're the perfect alumnus of NF Academy, the only one to win the league as a first-team player at the age of eighteen. Your success during this season has been the greatest motivating factor for the youngsters back at the academy. I hope you can spare some time in the near future to pay us a visit."

"Thanks, coach," Zachary replied politely. "I can visit the academy in December. But that'll be after our three Europa League matches when my schedule has opened up."

"That's excellent." Coach Bjørn Peters nodded with a smile. "Maybe, your visit will inspire the youngsters to put up better displays during next year's Riga Cup. We've been performing poorly in international competitions since you guys graduated."

"I'm glad to be of some help," Zachary said, settling down on one of the benches in the gym. "You can set up a date and time during early December. As long as you inform me in time, I'll visit for sure."

"I'm glad to hear that," Coach Peters said, his manner turning all professional the next instant. "I've already designed a new three-month training regimen for you. It includes plenty of weight training routines to help you bolster agility, body control, and both lower and upper body strength. We're starting on it today. So, hurry up and change into your gym attire."

"Aye, coach," Zachary said with a smile. Without further ado, he headed towards the locker room with his gym bag in hand. There, he switched into his gym attire, chugged down some water, and then returned to the free weights section to start the session.

"Let's start with some stretching before we move on to the weights," Coach Bjørn Peters said, taking up a position beside Zachary on the training mat. "Make sure you follow all my motions to the letter. Stay focused the entire time and go through every exercise to the best of your ability. I won't entertain any laxity during the session. Okay?"

"Aye, coach," Zachary replied, nodding as he eyed his new fitness coach with a hundred percent focus. Coach Bjørn Peters was a remarkable instructor who had given him plenty of help and advice during his academy days. Zachary trusted him and respected his opinions as both a football coach and a professional fitness trainer. He was confident his fitness would progress to the next level under his guidance.

"Let's begin!"