THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

The Juventus squad's journey from Turin to Madrid was without any issues that morning. As planned, the Old Lady players and technical staff were on the 8:30 outbound flight from Turin. They spent two and a half hours in the skies before their plane descended and touched down on the runway of the famous Madrid–Torrejón Airport.

Coach Allegri was the first to set foot on Madrid soil. After breathing in to take in the calming Madrid breeze, he smiled and nodded to the nearby staff before turning to face the UEFA guide in charge of Juventus.

"I'm Pablo Rodríguez, your guide for this UEFA Champions League trip to Madrid," the middle-aged man said, extending his hand. "Welcome to Madrid. Welcome to the capital of European football, Coach Allegri."

"You're funny." Coach Allegri chuckled, taking Pablo's hand for a firm handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Pablo. But I'll pretend as if I didn't hear you call Madrid the capital of European football. Is our bus ready?"

Pablo smiled in response. "Yes, the bus is waiting in the parking lot. It is ready to ferry you to your hotel. We've also already handled the airport procedures in your stead. So you don't need to go through the hustle of airport lines."

"Thank you, Pablo," Coach Allegri said before turning back to face his players, who had already assembled behind him. With one glance, he could see signs of dullness and lethargy among their ranks. The short journey had worn them out, and they needed intensive exercise before returning to tip-top condition.

"Lads!" The coach said in Italian. "Here is our plan for today. We'll head to the hotel and enjoy a light breakfast. After that, all of us, except the sleepyhead Zachary, will go through some drills to warm up our muscles. We'll end our short training session at around 1:30 PM and then have lunch. Then, after lunch, we'll rest until 6:30 in the evening before having dinner and then heading to the Vicente Calderón Stadium for our game against Atlético Madrid. Understood?"

"Yes, coach," the players who could speak Italian replied in unison.

"Excellent," the coach said, nodding. "You can translate my message to your teammates who don't speak Italian. In the meantime, let's start making our way to the bus. We must hurry and put in a few hours of training before lunch."

With that said, the Juventus squad followed after Pablo, the UEFA guide, and they made their way out of the airport through a private exit. In a few minutes, they reached the arranged team bus and boarded it. Then after they all took their seats, the driver eased the bus out of the parking lot, and off they went, heading towards the Arganzuela district of Madrid, Spain. They were obviously on their way to the Riu Plaza España, the hotel which would be their home during their one-day stay in Madrid.

Madrid was, without a doubt, a beautiful city. It was a metropolis of elegant boulevards, expansive and well-manicured parks, plus breathtaking architecture. But all that couldn't intrigue Coach Allegri as he had already been to Madrid more times than he could remember. He also couldn't afford to waste time as he was still refining his game plan for the Champions League game against Atlético Madrid.

He had done his best to prepare his players over the past two days of training at the Vinovo. He'd also done the necessary to increase Juventus' attacking prowess by pushing the overly-clinical Zachary to the striking line. Everything was in order, and all that remained was to ensure that his other starting eleven were in tip-top shape so they could adequately execute his game plan during the match.

"Coach!" Maurizio Trombetta, his assistant, called from beside him.

"Yes," Coach Allegri replied.

Coach Trombetta glanced around before saying, "Fernando is not happy after you abruptly took him out of the starting line-up. He has been grumbling to the rest of his teammates throughout the journey."

"Just let him be," Coach Allegri said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I already explained to him that I made the switch for tactical reasons. He'll calm down after some time. That aside, you should ensure that Zachary gets some sleep during the day. We want him sharp during the game."

"I know," Coach Trombetta nodded. "I'll ensure he gets some rest when the others are training."

Coach Allegri nodded and returned his gaze to the scenery flashing outside of the bus window. He didn't say another word until the bus arrived at the Hotel Riu Plaza España.

-----

After enjoying a late breakfast at the Hotel Riu Plaza España's restaurant, Zachary parted with his teammates. He went straight to his hotel room and changed into some lighter clothes. After switching off his phone, he jumped into bed and was soon fast asleep.

Unlike the previous night, his sleep was a peaceful one. He was deep in slumber for a good few hours and only managed to open his eyes when the clock hand was pointing to the three o'clock mark in the evening.

He stretched before jumping out of bed. As his body moved, his spirits brightened, and he felt full of energy. Gone was the tiredness of the morning, and his mind was so relaxed without any ounce of fatigue. A smile framed his facial features as he casually executed a set of yoga poses in his hotel room. He was focused on the exercising routine for a few minutes and only stopped when a few drops of sweat started dripping down his forehead.

"Now, I'm truly ready," Zachary thought. He'd been worried about messing up during the match due to fatigue. But after sleeping for a few hours, those concerns were all gone. He was in the best shape he could be and ready to execute his magic against the Atlético Madrid boys.

"I wonder if Camilla is out of the hospital."

Zachary immediately picked up his phone from the bedside table. He switched it on, hoping to dial Camilla's number and understand her circumstances. But right after the phone booted up, his eyes widened when he saw a message from her.

"Hello, dear," the message read. "Just wanted to inform you that I'm out of the hospital. The tests revealed that I'm very okay. So you don't have to worry about me. You can focus on preparing for your match without any worries. Love, Camilla."

After reading the message, Zachary felt like he'd unloaded another weight off his shoulder. He smiled and immediately typed a response, making sure to make her understand that he was thinking about her. Then, he threw the phone on the bed before heading to the bathroom for a shower.

"Knock! Knock!"

A loud knock sounded on his hotel room's door just as he stepped out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around himself and immediately walked towards the door. He opened it, only to find Coach Trombetta standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Zachary," Coach Trombetta said, stepping past Zachary and into the room. It was as if he was entering his own house. "Did you manage to find some sleep?" He asked.

"Yes, I did," Zachary replied with a smile. "I have just woken up." He closed the door behind him.

"That's good." Coach Trombetta smiled. "How are you feeling now?"

"I'm in good condition," Zachary responded. "Now, I'm sure I'll be able to perform at a hundred percent. Can you return me to the midfield?"

"Don't push your luck," Coach Trombetta said. "The coach has already been lenient enough by allowing you to stay in the starting eleven. Don't try to dictate what position he plays you in."

"I understand," Zachary said.

"Good." Coach Trombetta nodded with a smile. "You should head downstairs and eat something. You'll need plenty of nutrients and calories to burn during the match."

"I was just planning to," Zachary said. "I'll head down for a meal in about fifteen minutes."

"Then, my work here is done," the coach said, standing up. "I'll see you again when we're setting off for the stadium. Don't be late." Without waiting for Zachary's response, he marched out of the room before closing the door behind him.

-----

The time passed quickly, and soon, the sun sank below the western horizon of the city of Madrid. And just before the clock hand could point to the eight o'clock mark, both teams arrived at the Vicente Calderón Stadium one after the other.

Despite being the away side, Juventus arrived first. Under the insistence of their head coach, Massimiliano Allegri, they ignored the fans and rushed into the stadium, eager to begin their pre-match warm-up routine.

The Atlético Madrid delegation then arrived after a few more minutes and caused a big hoo-ha at the gates. The home fans started screaming the names of the Atlético Madrid players as they alighted from the bus. Some were even bold enough to ask for an autograph from Diego Simeone, Atlético Madrid's coach.

Diego Simeone, being the charismatic guy he was, was enthusiastic as ever while facing the Atlético Madrid supporters. He signed a few autographs before leading his players into the stadium. They walked quickly through the tunnel and arrived in their dressing room within a few minutes.

Coach Diego Simeone immediately instructed his players to hurry up and prepare for the pre-match dynamic warm-up. Then, he stepped towards his assistant and asked, "Has Juventus released their line-up yet?"

"Let me check," Germán Burgos, the assistant coach, replied. Then, he browsed for information on his tablet for a few seconds before turning to his boss again. "Their line-up is out."

"Good," Diego Simeone said. "Let me see."

Without waiting for the assistant to respond, he grabbed the tablet and focused his eyes on Juventus' line-up. The next moment, his expression turned serious when he noticed that Coach Allegri had chosen to play Zachary on striking. His mind went into overdrive, and he recalled many scenes from Zachary's past match videos. But even after contemplating for a while, he still couldn't gauge whether Zachary would do more harm upfront than he usually did while playing in the midfield. Additionally, he was at a loss for how to defend against his trickery close to their box.

"This is going to be tricky," he said to his assistant. "After preparing many strategies to handle Zachary in midfield, this bastard has chosen to play him on striking. Damn it. Why is he playing him out of his natural position?"

"But they are still playing a 3-5-2 formation," Germán Burgos, the assistant coach, pointed out. "Zachary won't have any impact up front as long as we play a solid game and prevent the Juventus midfielders from supplying him the ball."

"That may not be so," Diego Simeone said. "The guy is tall and as slippery as a loach. He might punish us by connecting with crosses and long balls to score goals. We must keep reminding the defenders to be on their toes while marking him."

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