THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

After memorizing Juventus' pre-season schedule, Zachary passed the paper on to Álvaro Morata, his new Spanish teammate. He then glanced at Coach Trombetta and asked, "Coach! How come there are two games scheduled on August 23rd? Could there be a mistake in the scheduling?"

Coach Trombetta smiled knowingly and said, "Don't worry. There's no mistake. We're simply following the unusual scheduling of the TIM Trophy. It has always featured three teams competing against each other in a single-day round-robin battle. The fortunate thing is that the matches last only forty-five minutes. So, you don't have to worry about over-exhausting yourself even if you play two consecutive games."

"Oh, I see," Zachary said, finally seeing the light. "Thanks for the clarification."

"You're welcome," Coach Trombetta said and turned his gaze away from Zachary. "Are there any more questions?"

All four players remained silent. They clearly didn't require any more clarifications about the content of the just-concluded meeting or the pre-season tour.

"Well, then," Coach Trombetta intoned, standing up. "Since there are no more questions, it's time for you to head to the pitch and join the rest of your teammates for training. But please don't forget that the theme for the next four days is achieving top physical fitness. You have to work hard in that area to impress the coaches. Understood?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied.

"Okay, let's hurry and head to the pitch," the assistant coach said. "Otherwise, Coach Allegri will start fuming if we spend more time than necessary here. And believe me; you wouldn't want to face an angry Allegri at the beginning of the season."

The four players laughed after hearing that. They quickly followed the assistant coach out of the almost empty tactics room and walked towards the training turfs. They were obviously ready to commence the first training with their new club.

-----

Over the next few days, Zachary didn't dare squander any time, especially since the start of the season was fast approaching. Aside from his language classes, he ignored almost everything and got busy training with his new teammates. He worked harder than ever and went through all the team drills like his life depended on it.

When his coaches signaled him to run, he would run like a good boy. When they would tell him to lift weights or execute abdominal crutches in the gym, he would get into action and perform all the exercises without complaint. He was the true-blue portrayal of an obedient and hardworking character, especially since he wanted to impress his new bosses. And nothing, including the language barrier, could distract him from achieving his goals.

As the days passed, Zachary realized that one's knowledge of the Italian language didn't matter that much on the training ground. Without even understanding what the coaches were saying, he could still follow the examples of his teammates and perform all exercises without committing mistakes. And if he really needed anything translated, he would seek out Coach Trombetta or international teammates, like Paul Pogba, who had a good command of Italian, to help him out.

As if in a flash, the four days elapsed, and August 1st finally arrived. It was finally the eve of the day when the entire Juventus team would set off for the pre-season tour of Asia and Australia.

The atmosphere around the team was teeming with enthusiasm when the training ended that day. Most players talked excitedly with their colleagues as they left the training ground in the evening. They were obviously looking forward to the trip to Asia and Australia after spending four days training intensively.

"Zachary!"

Suddenly, Zachary, who was in the middle of a conversation with Patrice Evra while traversing the hallways of the training center, heard a shout from behind him. He immediately turned around and realized that Coach Trombetta was waving at him from a distance.

"Excuse me," Zachary said to Evra in French. "I guess I have to go. Coach Trombetta wants to meet me."

"Okay, good luck," Evra said, smiling. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Zachary responded and then retraced his steps to meet with Coach Trombetta.

"I'm glad I managed to catch you before you left," the coach said after Zachary stood before him.

"What's up?" Zachary immediately asked, glancing at the coach. Since he had grown familiar with the trainer, he no longer addressed him with honorifics.

"Well," Coach Trombetta said, "The head coach tasked me with asking you about your match fitness. How do you feel after training with us for four days? Do you think you're back to the top of your game?"

"Not yet," Zachary replied with a sigh. "I have done everything possible to regain my match fitness over the past four days, but I'm yet to achieve the desired results. I need about three to four weeks to get back into tip-top shape."

"Okay, then." Coach Trombetta nodded. "But you don't need to worry about the match fitness problem before the start of the season. The matches won't be that demanding. Moreover, playing matches during the pre-season tour will help to get you back into top condition as soon as possible."

"I hope so," Zachary said as thoughts about his current football technique stats flashed through his mind. The previous night, he'd checked the system interface and realized that only his ball control was back to the S+ grading. As for the rest of the technique stats, including dribbling skills, passing accuracy, and body control, they were all still a grade below what was supposed to be their peak due to him consuming the S-grade vitality-enhancing elixir a few days ago.

"Okay, then, Zachary," Coach Trombetta said, still smiling. "Remember that we're departing tomorrow at nine in the morning. So, you must at least be here by 8:30 AM. Don't be late."

"I understand, coach," Zachary said. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, and enjoy your evening," the coach responded with a smile before turning and walking away.

Zachary also didn't drag his feet. He whirled around and continued walking through the hallways. In about a minute, he exited the building and headed toward the parking lot, where he found Angelo Mattiello, his interpreter/guide/driver, waiting for him.

"You're here," Angelo said, stepping out of his Citroën. "How was your day?"

"As hectic as usual," Zachary replied.

"That's understandable since the team is preparing for the new season," Angelo said. "What's next on your schedule? Should I drive you to your hotel now, or do you wish to pass by the language school first?"

"Let's head to the hotel," Zachary said and threw his gym bag into the vehicle's back seat. "We're setting off for the pre-season tour tomorrow early in the morning. So, I have a lot of things to prepare."

"Okay, then," Angelo naturally concurred. "Enter the car, and let's go."

Zachary nodded and settled in the back seat of Angelo's Citroën before closing the door. Just then, as he was still in the middle of making himself comfortable, he felt his phone vibrate for a brief moment within his trouser pocket. By reflex, he fished it out, then unlocked it before glancing at the screen.

"Eh!" Zachary couldn't believe his eyes the next moment. His heartbeat quickened, and he decided to read the text message he'd just received once again.

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INTESA SANPAOLO

Dear Customer, Your account ending 5432 has been credited with EUR 15,000,000. Your new account balance is EUR 15,403,000. Thank you for banking with us.

-----

After rereading the text message, Zachary finally confirmed that he had just received the first 15 million Euros promised to him by Juventus. After spending ten days in Turin, he had finally received the first portion of his 32 million signing bonus money. He couldn't contain his excitement, especially since it was the first time receiving such a colossal amount of cash in his two lives.

"Is anything wrong?" Angelo asked from the driving seat while glancing at him through the rearview mirror. It seemed like the guide had already noticed his agitation.

"No, no," Zachary replied, grinning. "Everything is just fine. Let's set off and head to the hotel."

"Okay, fasten your seat belt," Angelo agreed and started the car. Before long, he eased it out of the parking lot and exited the training center before joining the main streets of Turin.

As for Zachary, who was in the back seat, he was still basking in the excitement of receiving his first 15 million from Juventus. But that wasn't for long. He breathed in and forced himself to calm down by watching the passing scenery outside the car window. Soon, his mind entered overdrive mode and started formulating plans of how best to utilize his newfound fortune.

Firstly, he wanted to buy a good house in a good neighborhood in Turin. Secondly, he also wished to make a few more investments in the stock market by relying on his knowledge of the future and the guidance of his financial adviser. He planned to invest a million or two in companies that were sure to multiply his money in the years to come.

Lastly, he also wanted to jump on the cryptocurrency bandwagon. After returning from the pre-season tour, he intended to make a calculated risk and splash about 10 million Euros on Bitcoin. Then, when he received another big check from Juventus and his endorsers, he would also invest in Ethereum, which would be launched the following year in 2015. What would follow would be him waiting a few years before harvesting hundreds of millions or even billions of Euros at the start of the next decade. That was his master plan to get rich while continuing his career as a football player.

****  ****

Meanwhile, Maurizio Trombetta, the assistant coach, who had just talked to Zachary, stepped into Coach Allegri's spacious office. He settled down in one of the chairs and waited for the head coach to finish what he was doing on his laptop.

"You talked to him?" Allegri finally looked up from his laptop and asked in Italian after a few seconds.

"Yes, I did," Maurizio replied.

"So, what was his response?"

"He still claims that he's not yet back to a hundred percent condition," Maurizio said. "He hinted about needing between three to four weeks to attain full match fitness."

"Oh!" Allegri nodded. He remained silent for a few seconds as if considering something before asking again, "After spending four days observing him, what is your impression of him?"

"Very hard working and very serious about his career," Maurizio replied immediately. "I've only seen a few players as intense and passionate as him during training. I don't think a player with his attitude can lie about his match fitness."

"I also feel the same way," Coach Allegri said, nodding. "Players know their bodies best. They are even better than the best medicals at understanding the condition of their bodies. So, I'm quite inclined to believe him and consider the fact that he's still struggling with his fitness."

"True." Maurizio leaned back into his seat. "So, do we wait for him to attain full fitness before putting him on the pitch? Or do we utilize him during the pre-season matches?"

"We will utilize him," Coach Allegri said, "But only sparingly. We can give him 10 to 15 minutes of playing time for every match during the pre-season tour. That will allow him to get into shape quicker."

"True," Maurizio concurred. "That will also safeguard him from getting strained and injured before the start of the Serie A season. But how do we deal with the board and the chairman? They have warned us that they want to see their 70-plus million investment playing as many games as possible during the pre-season. They claim that that will allow him to build a large fanbase as soon as possible."

"Just ignore the board," Coach Allegri said in a dismissive manner. "It's always good to listen to the player's concerns instead. Since he says he's not back to full fitness, we give him a little time to recover. That way, we can make him feel more at home at the club, and he will be able to put all his heart out on the pitch when he finally makes his full debut."

"I understand," Maurizio said.

****  ****