THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

The following day, all Italian sports newspapers were full of details of AC Milan's match against Juventus. Their articles described all the crucial moments of the game that allowed Juventus to overpower the Milan-based club by two goals to nil. Additionally, the papers gave a detailed analysis of the on-pitch impact of all the players that played the game.

La Gazzetta dello Sport, an Italian daily newspaper dedicated to coverage of various sports, named Gianluigi Buffon as the man of the match with a 10/10 performance. The La Gazzetta journalists explained that Buffon's incredible display, which included saving a penalty, was the crucial factor that allowed Juventus to maintain a clean sheet and overpower AC Milan by two goals.

The newspaper then rated Zachary and Tévez 9/10 and gave a few other Juventus players, like Leonardo Bonucci and Arturo Vidal, an 8/10 performance for the night. The pundits were also not shy while showering the entire Juventus squad and their coaches with praise for how they handled the game after the red card. They applauded Juventus' defensive discipline that stopped AC Milan from creating many goal-scoring chances during the second half.

Angelo, Zachary's interpreter/driver, smiled after reading all those articles about Juventus. He was especially pleased with how the newspapers had pointed out Zachary's tremendous impact on the game.

"You seem to be in a good mood! What are you reading?" Zachary asked Angelo from across the table. The two of them were in the private booth of a cafe on the outskirts of Turin, waiting for the real estate agent who was supposed to take them to see the villa for sale. Angelo was, of course, passing the time, reading the newspapers while Zachary was enjoying his coffee and browsing the internet on his phone.

Angelo's smile widened on hearing Zachary's question. "I'm reading the sports news," he replied. He then told his boss about how the various newspapers had rated his performance a 9/10 and awarded Buffon the man of the match accolade with a 10/10 rating. Angelo was very detailed in his explanation and made sure that Zachary understood how the press had reacted to Juventus' win against AC Milan.

Zachary smiled and shook his head after hearing Angelo's response. "I'm surprised by the attention I'm getting from the Italian media. I have only played two full games for Juventus, but the press is already making me their focus. They have even begun comparing me to greats like Ronaldinho, Zidane, and Messi. Their reaction is too exaggerated."

"Welcome to Italy," Angelo said with a chuckle. "That's how the press reacts to all great footballers playing in the Serie A. It's even more so when a player joins a great club like Juventus for a record transfer fee."

"Like in my case?" Zachary said.

"Yes," Angelo confirmed. "The reporters and pundits will always analyze your games to verify whether your signing fee was worth it. Of course, if you're performing well, there won't be any problems as they will shower you with praise in their articles and make you a superstar in Italy. But if you're to perform poorly for some time, that's a different story. They will make you seem like the worst villain in Italian football. That's Italian media for you. You have to prepare yourself."

Zachary nodded and glanced at his watch. "Is your real estate agent about to arrive? We have already been waiting for like fifteen minutes!"

"He should be arriving anytime from now," Angelo said. "But to be sure, let me give him a..."

Angelo stopped mid-sentence as a couple of loud knocks sounded from the door. Before he could react, the door was pushed ajar, and an older gentleman with greying hair and a prominent beard stepped into the private booth. He looked elegant in his grey suit as he smiled at Angelo.

"Angelo, my friend!" He exclaimed in English. "How are you doing?" He extended his hand to Angelo.

"I'm doing okay," Angelo replied after standing up and taking the older gentleman's hand. "How about you?"

"I'm also doing fine?" The older gentleman replied before turning towards Zachary. "And this one here must be Zachary."

"Yes, he's Zachary Bemba," Angelo confirmed with a smile. "The one and only."

"Aha!" The older gentleman grinned and stepped forward to extend a hand to Zachary. "I'm Lorenzo D'Alessandro, your go-to guy if you need to purchase a house or any other piece of real estate. It's a real pleasure to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Lorenzo," Zachary said, standing up and taking the older gentleman's hand.

"You look different from how you appear on television," Lorenzo remarked and released Zachary's hand.

"Is it because of the cap? Or is it because I'm not in a Juventus jersey?" Zachary chuckled and settled back into his seat.

"Well," Lorenzo said, giving Zachary a once over, "Even though you are tall, you're not as intimidating as on television. To a certain extent, you seem like a friendly tourist."

Zachary chuckled and shook his head. He continued exchanging small talk with the real estate agent before breaching the main topic after a few minutes. "So," he said, "Angelo tells me that you have a villa for sale! Can you give me the details?"

"I can do better," Lorenzo said with a grin, "I can take you to see the villa, and then you can decide for yourself if you like it. It's located in the center of Pinerolo, just a few kilometers from here. We only need a few minutes to get there."

"That's even better," Zachary responded. "I wish to see the house. But we need to hurry as I don't have much time."

"Okay," Lorenzo said. "Let's go."

-----

Twenty minutes later, Zachary's party of three arrived at the detached villa for sale in Pinerolo Turin. It was like a piece of art on the landscape as it stood there, towering above the surrounding trees in all its grand majesty.

On first impression, it was a beautiful piece of architecture that captured Zachary's undivided attention. Its windows were as shy eyes, large enough to welcome any ray of the sun, while its rock walls belonged right where it stood -- as if, by some chance, it had grown up right from that hallowed ground.

"How's it?" Lorenzo asked, glancing at Zachary. "Does it suit your taste?"

Zachary nodded after glancing around one more time. "I'm impressed by the exterior, the elegant driveway, the swimming pool, and the large and impressive gardens. It's huge. It's almost like a castle! How much is this piece of property?"

Lorenzo chuckled like a cunning fox and said, "Hold your horses. Let's first see what it has to offer on the inside. Then, we can talk about the pricing."

"Okay, let's take a look," Zachary agreed after taking a deep breath.

Lorenzo soon opened the door of the villa and led them inside. And once again, Zachary was dazzled by the villa's magnificent interior. It was so welcoming, from the enormous entrance to the wide hallway, causing his spirits to experience a sense of relaxation. He fell in love with everything about it, including the paintings adorning the walls, the old-fashioned parquet floor with a blend of deep homely browns, and the walls that were the greens of summer gardens meeting a bold white baseboard.

In terms of aesthetics, it was an impressive blend of uniqueness and magnificence from the inside out. But that was not all that captured Zachary's attention. He also liked the enormous interior space of the villa spread over three levels.

On the first floor: there were two large kitchens, the first one pleasing to the eyes, with a fireplace, while the second one was a service kitchen with a functional terrace and an adjacent laundry room. There was also a grand dining room, a large hallway, a living room, and a large guest bathroom on the same floor. Then after ascending the stairs to the second floor, one would find four enormous bedrooms with three bathrooms. And if one descended the stairs to the basement, one would find a garage, a cellar, and a fitness area.

Zachary was especially fascinated by the fitness area as it was sizeable enough to accommodate all the gym equipment he could conjure up in his mind. He could already picture himself spending many hours training in that space.

"So, what do you think?" Lorenzo asked after they returned back to the living room. "Do you like the villa?"

"Yes, I like it," Zachary replied. "So, can you tell me the price now?"

"Two million Euros," Lorenzo said. "You must remember that this villa would be much more expensive if the owners weren't in a rush to sell. It would even go for about four million Euros. So, two million is a very fair price."

Zachary creased his brows. "Why is it that Angelo told me that it was 1.5 million? Why are you increasing the price so suddenly?"

Lorenzo shot a helpless glance at Angelo before saying, "Angelo must have been guessing. 1.5 million is just too low. You have seen the property for yourself. It's ideal for those looking for privacy and tranquility but, at the same time; do not want to give up the comforts of the city. Don't you think that it deserves the two million price tag?"

Zachary shook his head in response. "I had only prepared 1.5 million, and that's the amount I'm prepared to spend. Otherwise, I will continue house hunting until I find a suitable and cheaper one."

"This is a bit hard," Lorenzo said, sighing. "1.5 million is just too low. Okay, let's do it like this. Make 1.8 million, and the property is yours. It is my final offer, as I don't wish to waste your time bargaining with you. Meet me in the middle, and let's conclude this deal."

Zachary thought for a moment and replied, "I would like a day to consider this deal. I'll give you an answer tomorrow by seven in the evening."

"Seven in the evening!" Lorenzo remarked with helplessness. "That should be okay. But I can't promise that this house will still be available. But I'll still try my best to wait for you."

"That's okay," Zachary said, smiling. "Thanks. You'll have your answer tomorrow evening."

Zachary had already decided to buy the villa. But he was holding out on finalizing the deal so as to create time to investigate the exact circumstances surrounding the property. He was that careful as he didn't wish to fall for a scum just because he was in a hurry to buy the house.