THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary didn't return to Trondheim together with the team the following morning. Instead, he boarded a flight directly from Turin to Zurich after requesting permission to travel from the Rosenborg management.

He arrived in Zurich about four hours later and took a cab straight from the airport to the hospital to check on his grandma. City traffic was surprisingly light that afternoon, with only a few public automobiles on the airport road. So, he managed to make it to his destination in less than thirty minutes.

After entering the hospital, he quickly learned that his grandma was asleep and couldn't meet him right away. So, he could only press down his impatience and head to the canteen to discuss some pressing issues with Emily while waiting for his grandma to wake up.

"By the way, congratulations upon winning the match yesterday," Emily said right after they had settled at a corner table in the hospital's canteen. "You were phenomenal during the game. A hattrick against Juventus! You really have no idea how happy I am for you."

"Thanks, Emily," Zachary replied, beaming. "However, our job is far from done. We still have to face an enraged group of Juventus players next week. We'll need to play like never before if we wish to hold on to our advantage and qualify for the quarter-finals. Otherwise, if we relax even for a moment, those Italians will destroy us."

Zachary understood the terror of big clubs, especially in European tournaments. He'd already witnessed teams like Liverpool, Barcelona, and AS Roma overturn a more than three-goal deficit during the second leg before qualifying for the next round.

So, he wasn't about to become complacent by thinking that he'd already eliminated Juventus from the Europa League with a score difference of just two goals. He needed to approach the game as if both teams were on square one if he wished to help his team achieve the desired result.

"I'm sure your coaches know what is at stake," Emily said, shaking her head. "Since the job is already half done, thanks to your hattrick, they should be able to organize tactics that will allow you guys to qualify. Let's hope they do a good job as I really want to see you play in the quarter-finals."

"Let's hope so," Zachary intoned, narrowing his eyes slightly. "So, how's everything here? Is the old lady recovering well? What are the doctors saying?"

Emily smiled. "Her recovery is progressing well, and her surgical wound is healing without any issues. Also, the doctors confirmed that there were no more tumor cells in her brain after putting her through more imaging tests. They're only waiting to conduct a biopsy about a month later to screen for the tumor's chance of recurrence. They'll release her after that."

"That's a relief," Zachary said. "I guess I also need to plan for her transfer to Norway. I don't want to leave her in Zurich alone when she's recovering."

"That's a good idea," Emily said, nodding. "As long as the doctors give the go-ahead, we can transfer her to a medical center in Trondheim so that she can be near you. But that will have to be a month later after the biopsy. For now, it's better to leave her in the rehabilitation center here, where the neurosurgeons can constantly keep an eye on her."

"Okay, let's do that. Anything that can aid the old lady's recovery is okay with me."

There were a few seconds of silence at their table before Emily said: "By the way, I have some good news."

Zachary's heart skipped a beat. "Tell me. I'm listening."

"The Nike representative called me today morning. They notified me that they sent money to your bank account. You should receive it in a maximum of three days."

A tremor went through Zachary's mind as his hopes soared. "How much did they send?"

Emily smiled mysteriously before saying, "600,000 Euros. That's the entire annual payment for your first year in the endorsement deal."

"Eh!" Zachary was startled. "Aren't they supposed to be paying a fraction of the total sum first?"

Emily sighed. "With the way you've been playing over the past few weeks, I'm not surprised by how quickly they paid all the money. Otherwise, if they'd waited for you to put up a few more incredible displays during the upcoming games, I would've tossed away their offer and bargained for more money."

"You can do that?"

"Yes, I can," Emily replied confidently. "You need to understand that they are getting a bigger bargain out of this endorsement deal than we initially expected. You were a player famous only in Norway a month back when we negotiated the contract. However, after your performances against Fiorentina and Juventus, you've acquired a good measure of fame around the globe. So, the Nike people are getting more benefits than they're paying for simply because your name brand as a footballer is already reaching a larger audience."

"I see," Zachary said. "But we don't have to negotiate a new deal right away. We can wait for about a year before asking for more benefits. That'll help us maintain a good working relationship with them."

"Don't worry. I understand." Emily nodded. "By the way, how long are you staying in Zurich this time around?"

"The coach needs me back in training on Sunday afternoon," he replied. "So, if everything is fine with my grandma, I'll say my goodbyes to Zurich tomorrow at around midday."

"Good plan," Emily said. "We should travel together as I also have to conclude the business with Nike in Trondheim. As for your grandma, we'll leave her in the care of the nurses for the time being. Your aunt, Marie, will also remain here to support her through recovery. Is that okay?"

"That's fine, Emily," Zachary replied right away. "Thanks for helping me out all these days. Without you, I would have suffered while organizing her treatment."

"Don't mention it." Emily beamed. "I have already arranged for your aunt's stay here in Zurich. She and Doctor Sanders will be our primary contacts in the hospital. So, we'll be able to know everything going on with your grandma even when we're far away in Trondheim. We can then slowly plan for her transfer to Norway when the doctors give us the go-ahead."

"No problem," Zachary readily agreed.

-----

In the evening, Zachary spent an hour visiting his grandma before talking to her doctors at length to understand her condition. When he ensured that she was recovering well, he completely relaxed. A wave of relief swept over him like a spring breeze as he put his anxious heart down.

The following day, he followed his plans and said his goodbyes to his grandma early in the morning. Then, he talked for a few hours with his aunt, Marie, and urged her to look after the old lady. After ensuring that all the arrangements were in order, he boarded an afternoon flight with Emily, and the two of them traveled back to Trondheim.

Over the following few days, Zachary immersed himself in training once again. He was always the first and the last to leave the training ground as he tried his utmost to improve his abilities, even just slightly, before the second leg match. He even continued practicing the step-over juju since he wished to push it to over 100% mastery and ingrain the skill into his body and soul.

During the match against Juventus, he'd realized that he could combine some elements of his skills to form his own unique dribbling style that could be lethal to even world-class defenders. For instance, if he merged the elastico-dribble, the step-over juju, the Zinedine-touch magic, the Marseille-turn, and the Cruyff-turn into one fast-flowing style, no opponent would be able to touch his shoes as long as he had the ball at his feet. He would turn into a ball wizard that would terrify all competitors that chanced upon him.

However, he understood that he needed to instill all the techniques deep into his bones before creating his own style. He would first have to be able to perform the moves by reflex before he could think of merging them. And that required him to practice the skills repeatedly — thousands of times until they were second nature to him.

Since he was a man with a mission, he put more hours into practice and ignored everything else. However, his personal training didn't hinder him from attending the team sessions. He was always in high gear when he joined Coach Johansen's sessions to prepare for the second leg game against Juventus. And if the coaches asked him to do something during practice, he would not hesitate as long as it was beneficial for his career. He even studied the tactics with the coaches to understand how best to handle the opponents during the game. He was determined since he yearned to eliminate Juventus from the Europa League.

The days flashed by quickly as Zachary and his teammates trained hard and prepared for the game. Most were so focused, and before they knew it, it was the morning of Thursday, March 20, 2014. It was finally the day when Rosenborg would face off against Juventus at Lerkendal in the second leg of the Europa League's round of sixteen.