THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

There were a few seconds of silence at the table. Then, Emily turned her gaze from Heather's receding shape before pivoting it onto Zachary. "Are you sure you wish to invest 1.5 Million Euros in Tesla stock?"

"I'm sure," Zachary said, smiling. "If I had more money, I would invest even more. It's a pity that I only have 1.5 million at the moment."

"As long as you're sure and thought about everything carefully, all is well," Emily said. "Let's hope that your investment makes some profit in a few years."

"It definitely will," Zachary replied confidently. He'd checked the share price of Tesla that morning and found it to be around 40 USD. The cost was many times less than the future over-1000 USD price. So, he would earn more than twenty-five times his initial investment if he decided to sell the shares when they were most heightened in price, for instance, in 2021.

"Emily!" Zachary said. "You can also think about buying some Tesla shares. You might be able to make some good money in the near future."

"That's not an option for me," Emily replied, shaking her head. "Instead, I wish to save most of my money so that I can start my own football agency soon."

"A football agency!" Zachary's curiosity was piqued. "What about your current one? Are you having issues with your bosses?"

"Not at all," she replied. "I wish to own my own agency, which will give me more freedom when handling my clients and other business matters. And, of course, I won't have to cut off a portion of my income to pay my bosses. There are just many advantages to owning my own company. My only hope is that you can let me stay as your agent when that time comes."

"Don't worry," Zachary said with a smile. "I have never once thought about hiring any other agent. You could also consider taking me as a business partner when you decide to start your company. If my career continues progressing well, I'll be able to contribute capital and some insight into young talented footballers that can be your future clients."

Emily's eyes widened. "Are you for real?" She asked.

"Yes. I'm sure. We can draw up an agreement and own the sports agency together. That's, of course, if you're open to the suggestion."

Emily smiled. "I like the idea," she said. "But let's revisit the idea next year when I'm ready on my side. If you're still interested in starting a football agency with me, we'll create an office in wherever city you'll be playing next year. Then, we can start business immediately."

"That's okay with me," Zachary replied. "I won't change my mind since I also wish to own an agency. That reminds me: Are there any top football teams that have contacted you? I'm referring to those interested in my services next season."

"I was just about to get to that," Emily said, lowering her voice. "Over the past few weeks, I've met up with the representatives of a few teams. The most serious among them are Juventus, Tottenham, RB Leipzig, and Manchester United. Those four teams have already tabled offers and even contacted the Rosenborg management about your availability."

"Those are all big teams," Zachary said, his heart racing with excitement. "But, please scratch out Manchester United and RB Leipzig from the list of clubs I can transfer to."

"Why?" Emily questioned. "You haven't even heard about their offers! What if they are willing to pay you a sky-high wage of more than 150,000 Euros a week plus a signing bonus in tens of millions? Can't you consider a move to one of those clubs?"

"As you should know…" Zachary paused as the waiter brought their orders over. Then, when she stepped away from the table, he continued, "Money isn't everything. First of all, I don't wish to waste more time playing in the lower divisions of any country. I want to play in the top leagues as soon as possible. So, RB Leipzig is out for the moment."

"That, I understand," Emily said. "But then, why are you scratching off Manchester United? They are a big team in one of the top leagues in Europe. Their representatives even hinted about the possibility of offering you a handsome wage of more than 120,000 pounds a week if you decided to join them. That would place you among the six highest-earning players at the club. Are you not tempted?"

Zachary breathed out deeply to calm himself down. "The money is good," he said. "But after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, no one can predict how things will progress at the club. So, I don't want to be part of their transition."

Zachary had witnessed Manchester United's decline during his previous life. The English giants brought in top coaches like Louis Van Gaal and José Mourinho. They also purchased several over-priced and seemingly world-class players like Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Romelu Lukaku, and Ángel Di María, among others. But the club couldn't return to their glory-winning ways no matter how much money they splashed out. It was as if they'd been cursed, and they couldn't produce acceptable results for over a decade.

So, Zachary wasn't about to assume that he would accomplish the almost-impossible mission of bringing the club back to its glory days. And even if he wished to, he wouldn't know where to begin as the club's issues were likely from the top management's side, bringing about a scenario that ensured that no player could solve them.

"I see," Emily said after a few seconds of contemplation. "Then, I'll scratch Manchester United off the list. What about Juventus and Tottenham? They are the only other teams that have already proposed solid and attractive offers to acquire your services."

"Juventus would be the best option," Zachary said after sipping on his cappuccino. "But I don't speak Italian. So, I'll struggle to fit into the team for the next few years. But still, don't scratch Juventus off until we get a better offer. As for Tottenham, they are the best option for me to enter the Premier League at the moment. But I also won't decide until I look at the offers from other teams."

"Okay, I get you," Emily said, nodding. "Are there any more clubs that you won't consider joining? I don't want to do all the groundwork, and then you tell me to scratch them off the list at the very end."

Zachary chuckled. "Real Madrid and Barcelona," he said. "I won't consider joining them, no matter how attractive their offers are."

Emily's eyes narrowed as she sipped on her coffee. "Most footballers can only dream about joining Real Madrid and Barcelona. But you won't consider joining them even if they are to table down attractive offers! You're one weird player."

"Not at all," Zachary said with a smile. "I only don't wish to become teammates with Messi and Ronaldo. I only dream about competing against them."

"I see!" Emily said. "You have very lofty goals. But no matter. If you can continue maturing, you'll be able to compete against them fairly in the near future."

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