THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

It was just past noon, two hours to the much-anticipated Norwegian Cup Final. Nevertheless, the over-enthusiastic fans had long occupied every available seat in the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo.

In their respective team colors, they sang and cheered at the top of their voices, chanting their team slogans at the top of their voices. They were overflowing with excitement and stewing in anticipation of the kick-off of the Norwegian Cup final.

In that boisterous crowd were two stunning girls with extraordinarily otherworldly charm and charisma. They were like a pair of phoenixes among domestic chickens to the point that all the male fans around couldn't help but keep on casting wolfish glances their way from time to time.

The two girls were clearly the center of attraction in that part of the stadium. However, they seemed not to mind the ravenous stares directed their way. Instead, they continued discussing the upcoming match as if oblivious to the peculiar atmosphere all around them.

They were, of course, Emily Anderson, Zachary's agent, and Kristin Stein, his publicity secretary. The two of them had arrived in Oslo the previous day with the intent of watching the final, live, at the Ullevaal Stadion. After spending the night at a comfy hotel, the two of them, like other fans, made their way to the stadium early in the morning. They had then joined in the pre-match excitement and were eagerly awaiting the kick-off.

"The fans are really passionate," Emily Anderson said to Kristin, who was seated beside her. "It's still two hours to kick-off, yet they are already chanting at the top of their voices like mad."

"That's nothing surprising," Kristin replied. "It's what you would expect when Rosenborg is about to face off against Molde in the Cup final. The majority of the Norwegian sporting community agrees that the two teams are the biggest powerhouses—the very top dogs in Norwegian Football. Only a few doubters still deny that fact. A meet-up between them will always attract an enormous crowd of rowdy football fans here in Norway. I'm sure that aside from the supporters in the stadium right now, there are many more waiting to watch the final on TV at home."

"Moreover," Kristin continued with a smile. "The Norwegian Cup is the oldest competition in Norway. So, it holds a special place in the hearts of Norwegian football fans. It is the winners of the Cup who'll earn the title Norwegian Football Champions rather than the Tippeligaen winners."

"Ohhh!" Emily exclaimed, taking the time to adjust her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose. "Then, if Molde wins, they'll become Norwegian Champions instead of Rosenborg. Is that right?"

"Yes, that's right," Kristin confirmed.

"What a weird football culture!" Emily said, shaking her head. "In England, for instance, it's the winners of the premier league that will earn the title — English Champions. I'm sure that it's the same in most other countries like Germany, Spain, and Italy. I wonder why you Norwegians decided to do things the other way around!"

Kristin suppressed a chuckle. "As I already said, the Norwegian Cup holds a special place in the hearts of the Norwegian football enthusiasts. That's why attendance is at full capacity now, even with two hours remaining to kick-off."

"Let's hope Zachary and his teammates emerge victoriously at the end of it all," Emily said, frowning slightly and glancing around. "It would be a bummer if Rosenborg ended such a great domestic campaign with a loss in the final."

"I think we have a great chance of winning," Kristin observed, her tone poised. "The whole team is in great shape. Confidence levels are high — at a level like never before since we just defeated Red Bull Salzburg 3:0. So, what's there to fear? What's stopping the team from crushing Molde?"

"You're right." Emily smiled. "It seems I'm just fretting over nothing. Let's hope everything goes well."

"There's no need to worry," Kristin emphasized. "With the way we've been playing over the past month, there's no way we should lose. Unless a higher power, higher than luck itself, is against us. Otherwise, we should easily hammer Molde 4:0."

Emily couldn't help but chuckle at that. "By the way," she said, her tone turning professional all of a sudden. "How is Zachary's social media presence these days?"

"Well," Kristin replied, creasing her brows a bit. "His accounts have exploded with followers over the past few weeks. There were hundreds of thousands of more followers, especially after Rosenborg won the league and after Zachary's latest performance in the Europa League. I can say with confidence that his accounts are doing pretty well."

Emily smiled on hearing that. She was thrilled that Zachary's popularity was skyrocketing. Fame and reputation equaled more endorsements, which translated into more money in the medium to long run. So, as an agent, she was ecstatic. But there was something, like a little bit of uncertainty, in Kristin's tone that nagged at her professional senses, which she felt she needed to address. So, she immediately inclined her head and glanced at the younger girl squarely.

"Why do I sense that there is a 'however' missing at the end of that statement of yours?" She pressed.

"It seems I can't hide anything from you," Kristin sighed. "Everything is fine with his publicity, except for one small issue. I don't know whether I should mention it or not."

"Ohhh!" Emily's heart stilled a bit. "In a business such as ours, there's no such thing as a small problem. There's either a problem or there isn't. It's as simple as that. So, what is it this time around?"

"As I said, it's just a small issue," Kristin said, shaking her head. "There were pictures of Zachary and an older woman that emerged on a few blogs about two weeks back. So, a few of his followers started trolling his social media accounts, asking about the pictures. Zachary, of course, didn't even consult me and replied with a single word — girlfriend. But that's when a few fans started criticizing his choice of ladies, saying that he needs to look for someone his age — someone who'll not distract him from his pursuits."

"You know Zachary's character," Kristin continued. "He, of course, ignored the fans and went back to his training as if he'd never made the post. So, the discussion grew bigger and bigger, to the point of involving the woman in the pictures. It was almost getting out of hand over the past few days until I blocked some troublesome followers. Only then did the activity on his accounts return to normal."

"Ohhh!" Emily's eyes widened with surprise after hearing the tale. "Why is it that I know nothing about this girlfriend of Zachary's?"

Kristin shrugged in response. "Most posts about her are either in Norwegian or German. So, that might be the reason you didn't catch wind of it."

"You're right." Emily nodded. "That might be the case. Do you have her picture? I would like to see this girlfriend of Zachary's. I hope she's not a troublemaker. Otherwise, we'll have plenty of problems in the near future."

"Just a minute," Kristin said, fishing her phone from her purse. Without further ado, she searched for a few of Camilla's photos on the web before immediately showing them to Emily.

"Isn't this the assistant of the marketing manager from Audi Norway?" Emily mumbled, creasing her brows, on seeing the photographs. "When did they get together?"

"I don't know." Kristin shrugged.

Emily nodded. "It's good you told me about this. Don't bother Zachary about this and definitely not about the followers trolling him. We can't afford to distract him at this critical juncture when he still has to play two Europa League group matches. Let him continue his training normally. I'll try to see if I can get some more information on what's happening from him in the next few days."

"Oh, okay," Kristin said. "Don't you want to find any more information about the lady in the pictures yourself? What if she has ill intentions towards Zachary?"

Emily couldn't help but sigh on hearing the question. "If I did that, I would be overstepping my boundaries. As his agent, I can only open his eyes to a few of the problems that may hinder his career. But if an issue gets too personal, there's nothing I can do. But, don't worry. I'll see what I can do on my side, even if my hands are tied."

"Good," Kristin said, smiling and returning her attention to the pitch.

****    ****

Zachary glanced skyward, trying to deduce the weather in his own way after exiting the team bus at the gates of the Ullevaal Stadion that afternoon. A soft smile outlined his face the next instant after noticing that the blue sky above the stadium was dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily in the gentle breeze. There were no signs of rain, so he relaxed even further.

"Zachary! Sign an autograph for me. Zachary, how do you feel about the match? Zachary..."

A few ardent yells broke him out of his moment of reverie. He glanced around and noticed that several fans in Rosenborg jerseys were fervently screaming his name. Some were even hopping up and down as they waved at him enthusiastically.

"Man, you sure are popular here in Norway," a familiar voice said from behind him. "The fans are always all over you everywhere you go to in Norway."

Zachary smiled on hearing that. He ignored Thomas Partey, who'd made the remark, and took the time to sign a few autographs for the fans. After that, he followed his teammates into the stadium, feeling eager to unleash carnage on team Molde in the Norwegian Cup final.