THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary returned his entire focus to training after sending off Camilla. He spent most of his time in the gym, working on his physical fitness or partaking in the often-intensive team sessions. His work ethic over the following few days was exceptional as he wanted to make it into Coach Allegri's starting eleven as soon as possible.

Additionally, he didn't neglect his language classes. Every evening, after departing from the training ground, he would head to the L'Italiano Porticando language school and spend hours trying to master the Italian language. His newly-enhanced intelligence worked wonders, and he started speaking a few words in a short span of a few days. He could easily exchange greetings with his Italian colleagues or vocalize a few curse words after seven days of intensive study. He was obviously on a fast track to learning the new language.

A few days quickly passed, and Friday arrived. On the evening of that day, Zachary left the language school at around 9:00 PM and returned to the J Hotel. He cleaned up quickly before making himself comfortable in a chair on his room's balcony to enjoy a late-night snack. He was in a good mood as he took in the delightful view of the extensive J Hotel gardens while enjoying his meal.

At that moment, his mind fell into a period of self-introspection, and he felt like he was living in a blissful utopia. He had a career that many would only dare to consider pursuing within their dreams. Secondly, he had a beautiful girlfriend that could cause the downfall of nations with just a simple gesture. And lastly, he was rich, going by the standards of over 90% of all the people in the world. What else could he ask for from the world? He just had to remain consistent and work hard to refine his skills. Then, he would continue elevating his game with the passing of time while enjoying many more years of career contentment.

The corners of Zachary's lips quirked up a little as the refreshing evening breeze caressed his face. His mind achieved a blissful state of relaxation, and he quickly finished his meal. He picked up his Italian language textbook and began his daily pre-bedtime revision routine. But a few minutes later, just as he was starting to immerse himself in the act of learning new Italian words, his phone vibrated from a nearby table and broke him out of his state of concentration. He frowned as he placed his Italian textbook to the side before glancing at the screen. But the next moment, his face eased into a smile as he realized that the WhatsApp call was from Paul Kasongo, his friend and former teammate. He immediately pressed the accept button and positioned the phone next to his ear.

"Hello, Kasongo," he said, leaning back into his seat. "It has been long. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay," Kasongo replied from the other end of the line. "What about you? How is life taking you in Italy? Have you managed to learn Italian yet?"

Zachary chuckled, finding his friend quite amusing. "How can I learn a new language in just a month? Do you think I'm some brainiac out of a sci-fi movie?"

Kasongo laughed in response. "Anyways, jokes aside, how are you finding life in Turin? Have you managed to settle in?"

"I'm doing okay while trying to settle down. The only issue hindering me from fitting into the new culture is the language barrier. But I have already started taking Italian language classes to overcome the challenge."

"Good for you, my man," Kasongo said. "I'm confident that you'll achieve a lot at Juventus. Keep giving your all in everything you do, and everything will work out."

"That's my intent. Thank you." Zachary responded. "But enough about me. Are you still in Trondheim, or did you finally transfer to a new club?"

"I've already completed a move to a new club," Kasongo replied, his voice filled with a sense of pride. "Can you guess which club it is?"

"I'm sorry, I can't," Zachary admitted.

He hadn't followed the transfer news for a few days. He was totally ignorant in regards to the completed signings on the deadline of the transfer window. He didn't even know which ones among his former teammates had followed his example and transferred out of Rosenborg that summer.

"Can't you really guess?" Kasongo asked again.

"No, I can't."

"You're such a bore, man," Kasongo said, sighing. "Don't you watch the news? Anyways, I managed to complete a move to Tottenham on Monday evening, just a few hours before the closure of the transfer window. As I speak now, I'm already a Tottenham player."

"For real? You're now a Tottenham player?" Zachary's eyes widened as he almost couldn't believe his ears. It seemed that the future of football was changing fast and becoming more and more unfamiliar to him. Moreover, he was well aware that he was the spark that had set off all those changes simply because of interfering with the life of a young footballer while he was still in DR Congo and later encouraging Coach Johansen to sign a few talented players. He had a feeling that he might turn out to be the institutor of a mega butterfly effect that could send the football world into unpredictable future paths — totally different from those of his past life.

"I'm telling the truth, man," Kasongo responded. "If you don't believe me, you can check the transfer news."

"Then, congs, my man," Zachary said. "I'm really happy for you. Are you already in London, or are you still in Trondheim?"

"I'm in London," Kasongo replied. "I have even already trained with the team. That aside, a few of our other former teammates also completed moves out of Rosenborg successfully. Eric Bailly is with me here at Tottenham while Karl Toko Ekambi went to Lyon. As for Nicki, he joined Villarreal."

"Damn!" Zachary exclaimed. "All our teammates have left Rosenborg. Coach Johansen must be in a foul mood."

Kasongo chuckled and said, "I don't think so. From what I heard, management will use part of the money gained from the transfers to sign new players. There are rumors that Rosenborg could splash out around 50 million Euros to bring in new talent during the December-January transfer window. Such an amount of money can do wonders in the Norwegian League. Coach Johansen should be able to continue dominating the league after spending such an amount."

"True," Zachary said. "But they still have to put in place an excellent recruitment policy. They must sign players with potential if they are to continue dominating the Norwegian League. By the way, what's up with Yerry Mina, William Troost-Ekong, Thomas Partey, and Takumi Minamino? Are they still at Rosenborg?"

"Thomas Partey was close to joining Atlético Madrid during the last week of the transfer window," Kasongo responded. "But his move fell through after the Spanish side failed to meet Rosenborg's asking price of 25 million Euros. Yerry Mina was also about to join Barcelona. But his move also fell through after Barcelona refused to cough out the 28 million for the defender. As for Troost-Ekong and Takumi, they haven't thought about leaving Rosenborg. They seem to be enjoying their time in Trondheim."

"I think it's good that the four of them have remained at Rosenborg," Zachary remarked. "They should be able to help Coach Johansen win the trophy this year."

"Of course, they will," Kasongo confirmed. "Rosenborg is unstoppable in Norway at the moment. The club is very comfortable at the top of the league table. It's also ahead of the second-placed by twelve points."

"Oh, okay," Zachary said. "Then, they should be able to win the Norwegian league this season. That aside, how are you faring in London? Do you think you will be able to make the match squad within a short time?"

"Honestly," Kasongo replied, "I'm a bit intimidated by everything here. All the players are talented, and on top of that, they work hard on a daily basis to make the squad. I can't be sure when I'll make it into the starting eleven or even the match squad."

"Just keep on working hard," Zachary encouraged. "You'll eventually make the squad since I'm sure that Tottenham signed you because they saw potential in you. They can't just leave you on the bench after coughing out money to get you from Rosenborg."

"True." Kasongo chuckled. "It was nice talking to you again, Zachary. But for now, I have to say goodnight. I have to train early tomorrow."

"Okay," Zachary said. "Goodnight to you, too, and let's keep in touch."

"Let's keep in touch," Kasongo replied before ending the call.

Zachary smiled and returned his focus to cramming Italian words. He was, of course, happy that his former teammates were progressing well. But he also understood that he had to continue working hard and pull out all stops to continue improving himself as a footballer. Or else those former teammates might leave him in the dust in a few years if he slacked off.

-----

A week quickly went by as Zachary toiled from morning to evening, each day, with the intent to refine his ball skills and improve his physical fitness. And soon it was Saturday, 13th September. It was finally the day when Juventus would face off against the Udinese Calcio.

For the game that day, Coach Allegri still chose to start with the midfield of Claudio Marchisio, Andre Pirlo, and Arturo Vidal. As for his other talented midfielders like Zachary Bemba and Roberto Pereyra, he chose to rest them in preparation for Juventus' opening fixture in the Champions League against Malmö FF. He asserted that rotating the squad would keep all the players fresh and free from injuries. As a result, they would find it easy to win more than one trophy in a single season.

-----