THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary was busy again the following day. Early in the morning, after going through his mandatory yoga routine, he headed to the Juventus Stadium to tour its facilities for the first time as a Juventus player. Under the lead of his guide, who was also his interpreter, he trekked through the magnificent pitch side, the glittering changing rooms, the press room, and many more facilities.

Then lastly, he entered the museum and experienced Juventus' glorious history with his very own eyes. He felt slightly overwhelmed after witnessing the collection of memorabilia, photos of the Juventus legends, institutional documents, football equipment used by historical club players, and the trophies accumulated by Juventus over the years.

And when his gaze finally landed on the large portrait of Zinedine Zidane, standing upright in all its majesty, he couldn't help but pause in his step for a few seconds. He gazed at the life-like image with pure admiration while recalling some of the notable performances of the Frenchman.

The man was the most graceful footballer Zachary had ever witnessed. Fans could get lost in Zinedine's elegance while watching him handle the ball like a magician, and they could only sigh in wonderment as they observed him executing killer passes like the best of Maestros. Due to all those factors, Zachary had adored Zinedine greatly as a child. The Frenchman's performances were thus a crucial factor that pushed Zachary to fall so very in love with football.

"Are you a fan of Zinedine Zidane?" Angelo Mattiello, his freshly-hired guide and interpreter, asked from beside him after noticing his gaze. He was a man of short stature, with a mean face, dreadlocks, and a prominent beard that gave him a thuggish look. But contrary to his fierce bearing, he was quite the warm person when you spent time with him. And that was why both Emily and the Juventus officials had urged Zachary to hire him the previous evening. To assure Zachary of his professionalism, the man had even signed a contract, which included a confidentiality clause with severe consequences if broken.

Zachary smiled on hearing the question from his interpreter. "Of course, I'm a big fan of Zinedine Zidane," he said. "The Frenchman was like an artist on the pitch. So, I don't think there are souls within the football community today that are not his fans, at least to some extent."

"True," Angelo Mattiello said, also nodding. "He was a true talent in the history of football. But do you know you possess a flair similar to his when you're on the pitch? Your style of handling and passing the ball and that Marseille turn of yours—" The man sighed. "All those skills of yours are as elegant and brutal as when Zidane performed during his prime."

"Is that so?" Zachary asked, smiling mysteriously. "If they are, I'm flattered."

Of course, Zachary understood that he possessed some of Zidane's flair on the pitch. That was because he had mastered three of the legendary Frenchman's skills. Zachary would replicate the Frenchman's style to a certain extent by utilizing moves like the Zinedine Touch Magic or the Marseille turn. But naturally, he would never admit that.

Angelo Mattiello suddenly glanced at his watch and said, "It's already coming to 9:00 AM. We should head to the meeting room. Otherwise, we'll be late for your meeting with your bosses."

"Okay," Zachary naturally agreed. "Lead the way."

With that said, Zachary followed after his guide as they exited the museum. They quickly walked through the spotless clean hallways of the stadium before arriving at the slightly ajar door of the meeting room. Without knocking, they entered and found Fabio Paratici, the sporting director, Massimiliano Allegri, the head coach, and Antonella Busso, a secretary, waiting for them. And without wasting time, their parties exchanged greetings and then eased into the theme of the meeting.

"So, Zachary," Fabio Paratici, the sporting director, said after leaning back into his seat. "This is our first official meeting after you became a Juventus player. How do you feel?"

Zachary smiled. "As I said yesterday, I'm excited and looking forward to life at this great club. I wish to succeed at this club. So, I'll always give my best whenever I'm on the pitch."

"Excellent," Fabio said, his stern countenance easing into a grin. "It seems like our intents are aligned. Actually, we were discussing the matter of your shirt number before you arrived. And we all feel that our historical number 10 could suit you the most. What do you think?"

Zachary raised a brow, glancing back and forth at the two men and the one woman seated on the other side of the table. "Isn't that Carlos Tévez's number? Why are you offering it to me?"

Fabio exchanged a meaningful glance with Coach Allegri before answering, "Obviously, it's mostly for publicity purposes. But we have also been searching for a player who can reignite the true glory of the number 10 shirt. We have been looking for a player who could become a phenomenal legend like previous bearers such as Alessandro Del Piero, Michel Platini, and Roberto Baggio. And now, we feel like we have finally found that player. That player is you."

"Oh," Zachary said, feeling a wave of complicated emotions wash over him. "I'm flattered by your offer to have me wear the number 10 shirt with such a glorious history. But, I have to refuse. I will choose another number that doesn't belong to any of the players active on the team."

Zachary's tone left no room for negotiation since he was totally against the proposal made by his new bosses. While playing for TP Mazembe during his previous life, a talented new signing had come into the team and taken over his favorite number 6 since he'd been underperforming. He obviously didn't complain since he couldn't go against his bosses at the time. But that didn't mean that he wasn't hurt on the inside. After the incident, Zachary lost his confidence and even put up worse performances for TP Mazembe the following season.

That was the happening that had made him understand that the act of robbing a shirt from an active player was disrespectful and demeaning. Thus, he would never do it to someone, especially if that someone was about to become his teammate.

"Do you have anything against the number 10 shirt?" Fabio asked, creasing his brows. "What's your reason for refusing it in such a manner?"

"There is really no deep meaning behind refusing the shirt number," Zachary replied. "It's just that I don't want to start my tenure at Juventus on a bad note with some of my teammates."

"I see," Fabio said, smiling and nodding. He then faced Coach Massimiliano Allegri, and they started exchanging rapid Italian sentences that Zachary couldn't understand. They talked for about a minute, seemingly arguing about something.

Zachary couldn't take it anymore. He whispered to his interpreter, "What are they talking about?"

Angelo, the interpreter, leaned towards Zachary and whispered back, "Coach Allegri is insisting that you're right. He says they shouldn't force the number 10 on you, especially since it already has an owner. On the other hand, Fabio claims to be helpless. He mentioned something about the club chairman and many of their staunch fans insisting on handing the number 10 shirt to you. That almost summarizes their entire argument."

Zachary's heart skipped a beat on hearing the interpreter's translation. He creased his brows, fearing that the worst could occur. Probably, the club management would force the number 10 shirt on him, and then he would offend Carlos Tévez and a few of his close friends even before he started training with his new teammates.

"Damn! What a bad way to start off in a new club," Zachary mused, exhaling and leaning back in his chair. He already regretted not telling Emily to include a clause about his shirt number in his contract with Juventus.

"Zachary!" Suddenly, Fabio Paratici's voice resounded around the room again. "We have really considered all angles concerning the matter of your shirt number. But we still wish you can accept the number 10 for the club's good. Even our fans want to see you in the number 10 shirt next season. So, you can see how our hands are tied."

"You're forgetting one point," Zachary said, leaning forward. "How does Carlos Tévez feel about the entire situation? Do you think he is okay with a nineteen-year-old newbie coming into the club and taking over his number? If you were in his place, how would you feel?"

Fabio sighed and shook his head. "My young friend," he said, "You should be aware that football is ruthless and with no guarantees as a sport. Someone will always have to give way when a more talented player comes along and joins the team. That's the competitive nature of football. It's always the same for shirt numbers or when fighting for spots on the starting line-up."

"Let me ask you this, Zachary," the sporting director continued. "With your talent, you'll eventually join the starting line-up sooner rather than later. Will you reject the spot on the first team simply because you feel pity for a teammate? Will you tell Coach Allegri not to include you in the match squad simply because you don't want to offend your teammate?"

"That's different," Zachary argued. "We're not talking about a player who has lost his form. We're talking about Carlos Tévez, the man who was your top scorer last season. He was likely your best player."

"I'm sorry," Fabio said, shaking his head. "We don't see it that way, and the fans don't see it that way. Why would we drop out of the Champions League during the group stages if we had good players in all positions? Then, in the Europa League, why did we lose to your Rosenborg, a team clearly much weaker than us?"

Zachary could only remain silent as he had no answer for that. He just sighed helplessly and leaned back in his seat.

"Zachary," Fabio continued. "I'm aware of your considerations. They are truly commendable. But you must understand that we are trying to build something incredible here. We want to put together a team that can compete with teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern. That's why we are doing a major rebuilding, starting with you wearing the historical number 10 shirt."

"Okay, I understand. It seems that I must agree to the number 10 shirt." Zachary said with another sigh. Since his bosses had already decided, it was unwise to keep arguing with them. He would have to swallow his frustration and wear the shirt. And hopefully, Carlos Tévez would be a dear and not mind him taking over his shirt number.