THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

The post-surgery rehabilitation center of the University Hospital Zurich was like a spectacle out of a sci-fi movie. Everything that could shine did shine. There was stainless steel, sleek floors, and beautiful art on the walls, making up an exquisite ambiance that was as bright as glacier melt-water or spring flowers. The air around the entire place had a pure fragrance, not sterile, just clean. Music at just the right level played in the background to give the patients and staff an emotional lift. It was unquestionably a world-class health center, and even at that late hour, the nurses and doctors were as busy as ever, moving from room to room to tend to the patients.

In one of the lounges of this famous hospital, a few patients and their caretakers had gathered to watch the finals of that year's Europa League. Among them was Zachary's grandma, Mrs. Madeleine Mateso Bemba, who was recovering well from her brain surgery. She looked remarkably comfortable in her reclining wheelchair, placed in front of the large screen.

"Are you sure that Zachary will be playing today?" She queried in Swahili while inclining her head slightly to look at her daughter - Marie Bemba.

"Yes," Marie Bemba, Zachary's aunt, replied with a humble tone. "Zachary's team is called Rosenborg. It's playing against a team from Spain called Sevilla in the Europa League finals."

"What is this Europa League?" Zachary's grandma asked, creasing her brows. "How come I have never heard about it?"

"The tournament is the second biggest continental club competition in Europe," Marie replied. "And Zachary's team has defeated many famous teams like Juventus, Lyon, and Benfica before reaching the finals. If they win the final today, they will become champions and go home with the trophy."

Zachary's grandma smiled, her wrinkles smoothening out a little. She wrapped her shawl tightly around herself to keep the cold away before saying, "I'm glad that Zachary is making something out of himself. Let's hope that he wins the trophy today."

Marie smiled and nodded. "The match is about to start," she said, pointing at the large LCD screen in front of the room. "Better focus. Zachary's team is about to step out of the tunnel."

****

Only a dozen minutes remained before the highly-anticipated Europa League final's kick-off. The excitement was in the air, and more than 40,000 fans had already taken up their seats in the famous Juventus Stadium in Turin. Most of them were already singing the well-known chants of their respective clubs even before kick-off.

Among the supporters were several of Zachary's acquaintances, including Emily, Kristin, Camilla, Ryan Bellmore, Martin Stein, Marta Romano, Melissa Romano, and Coach Bjørn Peters. They had long occupied well-positioned seats in various parts of the stadium. They had all come to support Zachary in his endeavors to attain glory that night.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the voice of Peter Drury, the commentator for the finals, resounded across the Juventus Stadium. "Welcome to Turin. Ahead of us is a contest for Europa League glory. Rosenborg Ballklub is facing off against Sevilla Football Club in this year's Europa League final. It's a final filled with endless possibilities as any of the two teams can win today."

"If Rosenborg wins today, they will make history. They will become the first Norwegian team to win the Europa League. They will also become the first Norwegian team to win a treble in a single season. But there's an enormous mountain that is Sevilla between them and the trophy. The Sevilla players will be doing their utmost to help their club win another Europa League trophy. They were the champions of the 2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons. And today, they'll be keen on beating Rosenborg and winning their third Europa League trophy in history."

"It's already 8:35 PM," the commentator continued. "The players of both sides are already in the tunnel, ready to march onto the pitch. You can already feel the captivating and irresistible atmosphere around this famous stadium as the kick-off draws nearer and nearer with every passing second..."

It was at that moment that the players marched onto the pitch. On cue, the Europa League anthem started playing in the background while the cheers hit a thunderous crescendo.

On one side, the voices of the Rosenborg fans hit a peak as they shouted the names of their star players, including Zachary, Takumi Minamino, and Nicki Nielsen. But how could the enthusiastic Sevilla supporters let them do as they pleased? The supporters from Spain also started yelling at the top of their lungs, doing their best to overwhelm the opposing fans. The combination of shouts and cries from the two groups shook the stadium, causing the atmosphere to become even more heated.

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The proceeding moved forward quite quickly, and soon, the players started taking up their positions on the pitch. Zachary also followed suit and marched to his position. He looked strikingly sleek in his all-black Rosenborg jersey, and his eyes radiated an intense fighting spirit. His heart was already burning with anticipation as he eagerly waited for the moment when the referee would blow the kick-off whistle.

Zachary didn't have to wait long as the referee finished all his preparations quickly. The referee then positioned himself just outside the center circle and glanced around once before raising the whistle to his lips. But just as he was about to signal the start of the game, something unexpected transpired.

Out of the blue, a fan rushed out from the stands behind the goal. Like an incarnation of a skilled rugby player, he sidestepped past stewards in yellow jackets before leaving them in the dust. His speed was incredible — and in a couple of seconds, he sped onto the pitch, heading straight towards the position where Zachary was standing.

"What the hell?"

Zachary's eyes narrowed as he noticed the pitch invader on a straight course towards him. For a moment, his heartbeat quickened as he conjectured that the fan might wish to harm him. He stepped out of the way, intending to dodge the fan. However, the fan followed suit and altered his sprinting trajectory to follow after Zachary. And before long, the fan caught up to him.

"We're waiting for you at Juventus," the fan shouted and handed him a striped black and white Juventus flag and jersey. "Please don't go anywhere else. Come to Juventus..."

The words of the pitch-invading fan stopped abruptly as one of the stadium stewards caught up and tackled him to the ground. Before long, more stewards lifted the man away without giving him any other opportunities to communicate with Zachary.

As for Zachary, he was stunned and speechless. He stood transfixed in one place, glancing at the jersey and flag in his hands. For the first time in his career, he had experienced a pitch invasion targeted toward him. And once again, he re-evaluated the craziness of people in this world.

"Are you okay, Zachary?" Nicki Nielsen asked after approaching his position.

"I'm okay," Zachary replied as he bundled up the flag and jersey. Without waiting for Nicki to ask anything else, he raced towards the nearest steward and handed the flag and jersey to him. After that, he returned to his attacking midfield position outside the center circle.

He breathed in deeply and pushed the pitch invasion incident to the back of his mind. And slowly by slowly, he readjusted his mental state and focused solely on the game that was about to commence. He was again ready to do his best during the final of the Europa League.

-----

On the sidelines, Coach Johansen's face had already morphed into a frown. He wasn't happy, especially after witnessing a pitch invasion targeted toward his best player. He even suspected that the stunt might be a calculated move by the opponents to throw his players off their rhythm before the final.

"What do you think?" Coach Johansen asked his assistant after a moment of contemplation. "Could Sevilla be playing dirty?"

"That shouldn't be the case," Trond Henriksen, his assistant, replied. "The pitch invasion also affects the Sevilla players to a certain extent. So, they shouldn't be the culprits. On the other hand, I'm inclined to believe that it's Juventus pulling tricks. Don't forget that we're currently on their home ground. Their intent might be to use this rare opportunity to sway Zachary's mind before the transfer window."

"That makes sense," Coach Johansen replied as his frown deepened. Juventus had already tabled the highest bid to Rosenborg for Zachary. The only roadblock to their acquiring his services was his decision. So, Coach Johansen wouldn't be surprised if they utilized a pitch invasion stunt to sway his feelings towards playing for Juventus.

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*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee finally blew the whistle and signaled the start of the match after another minute. Nicki Nielsen, Rosenborg's center-forward, didn't dilly-dally. He kicked off the game by passing the ball back into his midfield after hearing the referee's whistle.

At long last, and after an unexpected pitch invasion, the Europa League was underway. The excitement around the stadium shot into the skies, and the cheers hit another momentous Zenith. All eyes were on the pitch, waiting to witness who would come out on top in that night's battle for Europa League glory.