THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

11:00 AM. Wednesday, February 15, 2012.

The fans in the stands were a sea of smiles as they quietly awaited the beginning of the match.

Emily Anderson craned her neck to get a better look at the players entering the playing field. She was seated close to the bottom row, nearer to the pitch.

"NF Academy players," she heard the commentator announce, his deep voice coming to her from a large speaker positioned a few meters to her right. "Shirt number-1: Kendrick Otterson, shirt-number-2: Öyvind Alseth, No. 16: Aleksander Foosnæs, No. 4: Lars Togstad, No. 5: Daniel Kvande, No. 6: Magnus Blakstad, No. 7: Kasongo Paul, No. 8: Zachary Bemba…" The commentator drawled a bit when reading the last name. Cheers suddenly—exploded all over the stands. The fans were in a jubilant mood.

Emily was surprised by the large turn-up of home fans and their support for Zachary. She had initially thought the match between the NF academy and BK Frem wouldn't attract a crowd. But, on arrival at the Skonto Arena, she had been quickly proven wrong. There were more than a thousand fans in attendance. It was likely that most of them had only come to watch her new client, Zachary Bemba, play. She was glad she'd managed to sign such a promising client.

The commentator continued reading the names after the crowd stopped cheering. "No.9: Paul Otterson, No. 10: Örjan Börmark, No. 11: Martin Lundal. And here is the squad of BK Frem…"

He went on to announce the BK Frem squad, but Emily didn't pay attention. She unpacked her Nikon camera, fitted in the lenses, and checked the battery to make sure it was ready for use when the match started. She didn't want to miss capturing any brilliant performances from Zachary that could give her an edge in future negotiations.

"What are you doing?" asked Jimmy Edwards, her immediate supervisor. "We already recorded one of his matches. No need to waste time shooting something else." He intoned, casually waving his hand to emphasize his point.

Emily frowned, turning around to give her colleague a flat stare. The scout/ agent had been in a bad mood ever since he learned about her successful signing of Zachary. Jimmy Edwards had intended to become his immediate handling agent rather than her. She'd only been—tasked with contacting Zachary. However, Emily had used her wits to beat her supervisor to the client by offering him a hard-to-refuse contract. It seemed she'd angered him as a result.

"Are you forgetting he is already my client?" She asked with her signature soft smile for handling negotiations. "I don't need to teach you that an agent should record any information that might improve her client's bargaining power in negotiations." She returned her attention to the match. The players were going through the pre-match routine of exchanging handshakes with their opponents.

"I've got a feeling that Zachary will do even better in this match," she continued. "There's no way I will miss recording this game." She said, her tone matter-of-factly.

Jimmy Edwards frowned, then nodded sharply. "Suit yourself. However, we must have that meeting before we return to London. You obviously can't take all the credit for signing Zachary." He emphasized.

Emily sighed, rolling her eyes. "With all the players you've already signed, what difference will one more make to your career?" She inquired. "Do you even have enough time to cater to all your clients?"

She had grown a lot more confident in her dealings with the supervisor after her successful signing of a promising client. Jimmy Edwards wouldn't be able to fire her without permission from the top management.

**** ****

"I would like you to talk more to your teammates while on the pitch," Coach Johansen advised Zachary. "The players respect you as a captain. Endeavor to warn them if they start losing focus—like in the previous match. I'm sure they will listen to you." He spoke slowly in a well-enunciated way to emphasize his point.

Zachary nodded. He chugged down some water before jogging back to his position on the pitch. Coach Johansen had allowed him to return to the midfield, leaving the striking-position for Örjan Börmark, NF academy's number-10.

Zachary looked around and noticed that the players of both teams had already taken their positions. His teammates did not appear as relaxed as they had been in the second half of their previous game. It seemed like Coach Johansen's message had gotten through to them. They jumped and jogged around their positions to keep their bodies warm while waiting for the whistle. He could tell that they were ready to perform.

He returned his gaze to the BK Frem players, dressed in white jerseys, on the other side of the pitch. They, too, seemed eager to start the game. Their huge loss against Genoa didn't seem to have dampened their morale one bit.

The referee soon blew his whistle, and the match started with a BK Frem kick-off.

Five minutes into the game, Zachary noticed that the opponents were also using the 5-4-1 formation, with most of their efforts focused on defending. With five defenders and four midfielders protecting the goal, it was proving challenging for Zachary and his teammates to get the ball further forward. The game soon settled into a stalemate.

The difference between the two teams turned out to be Zachary. The NF academy could afford to use the 5-4-1 formation because of his pace and efficiency with the ball. He had an uncanny ability to swiftly move through the midfield, forming a perfect link between the defense and the offense.

He played his typical role, helping the NF academy to dictate the tempo of the game. He was always in motion, either with the ball or ready to receive a pass. His first touches were superb, often taking him past one or two of his opponents. He didn't let any adversaries tie him down—like they had in the match against JFC Riga.

However, the BK Frem players were very determined. The nine players they kept behind the ball did their best to stop any NF academy players from approaching their box. In particular, their defenders played well in the first half by double-teaming Zachary and his teammates. They managed to keep the most dangerous shots away from their goal in the first half.

The score remained tied at 0:0 by the end of the first half. BK Frem had managed to keep the attacking force of NF academy at bay.