THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

"JFC Riga managed to hold the Genoa Youth team to a 1:1 draw," Paul Otterson said excitedly.

[A draw against Genoa! How did the Riga team manage that?] Zachary thought, surprised. He'd watched the match between BK Frem and Genoa and concluded that the Italian team was by far the most powerful adversary in their group. He wondered how a JFC Riga—a team that lost against the NF academy by four goals had managed to pull off a draw. [Doesn't that mean...]

"Do you know what this means?" Paul continued, interrupting Zachary's train of thought. "We've already qualified for the quarter-finals." He banged the table excitedly, attracting a few frowns from the rest of the diners in the restaurant.

Excited chatters rang around the table. Zachary and his teammates were seated around the long dining tables in the Monika Centrum Hotel's restaurant, waiting—as the uniformed waiters continued to bring in trays with dinner from the kitchen.

Words could be challenging to make out in the deep buzz of the restaurant. However, Zachary could hear his teammates chattering about which team they would face in the quarter-finals.

They were still in a cheery mood since they'd won the match against BK Frem by a six-goal margin earlier that day. The news about Genoa's draw with JFC Riga was like icing on the cake, fanning their euphoria even further. So, they bumped fists together, hugged each other like little girls, celebrating Genoa's draw.

Zachary smiled softly, his mood lifting. He'd been worried about the next game. He had already prepared to play his best against Genoa—to guarantee NF academy's qualification for the quarter-finals. Yet, Genoa had gone ahead and done him a favor. He felt waves of excitement emanating from his psyche, like a new spring bud that grows into the vibrant flower so naturally, one moment at a time. He was in a state of bliss.

"What about the group B results?" Zachary inquired, eyeing his flatmate. He'd taken a nap right after lunch and then trained in the system simulator—until dinner time. He hadn't gotten the chance to hear any news about the other group matches in the Riga tournament.

Zachary's table once again descended into silence as Paul Otterson cleared his throat. "The results of Group B are more surprising," Paul intoned, smiling mysteriously. "Zenit is leading the group after winning 3:2 against Tottenham on Monday, then going on to defeat AIK Stockholm, 2:1 this afternoon."

Paul paused as a waiter walked over, placing a tray of food before him: yummy smoked fish with rye bread, crescent-shaped Latvian pastries, and vegetables. The sight and aroma of the dish were enough to make Zachary hungrier than he already was. He wished the waiters would hurry up and bring his meal as well.

"Tottenham also managed to win the game against Atalanta today by a score of 4:2," Paul continued, picking up a knife and a fork. "Zenit is leading their group by six points, followed by Tottenham at three points. AIK and Atalanta trail with one point each. Their group seems really tough." He said, cutting off a piece of his fish and placing it in his mouth. The rest of the table mates gulped since their food hadn't arrived yet.

"We'll have to face one of the two teams that emerge from that group," Kasongo chipped in. "I wonder who will be first. Tottenham or Zenit?"

"I wouldn't worry about Tottenham," Kendrick said after sipping on his juice. "My friends, playing for AIK, have already informed me that Tottenham's squad isn't in the best shape. On the other hand, it would be better if-we-could avoid facing the Zenit Youth team in the quarter-finals by all means. They have a very tight defense and are really good at scoring from corners."

"Exactly," Paul cut in after swallowing a mouthful of food. "We should try our best to come first in our group. We'll only have a much easier time if we play against another team from that group. Zenit has managed to beat both Tottenham and AIK Stockholm so far."

The conversation slowed down as waiters continued bringing in food. Most of the players turned their attention to the dinner on their plates. Meals were their favorite time of the day—since they got the chance to replenish the calories burnt after using their muscles.

"A draw against Genoa tomorrow evening will keep us at the top of our group," Zachary observed, smiling softly. One of the waiters had finally brought his dinner. It was different from Paul's. On his tray was a Rasol—a local Latvian dish made from potato salad, with several layers of meat, hard-boiled eggs, and vegetables, all held together with mayonnaise. He'd also ordered a smoked fish and rye bread. He got right to eating and continued listening to the conversation.

He was pleased with the organizers of the Riga Tournament, especially in the feeding department. Players had a choice to order up to four dishes, recommended by their coaches, from their hotel's restaurant. Zachary and his teammates always ate like nouveau-rich tourists.

"Group C is the weirdest of the groups," Kendrick commented, in between mouthfuls of food. "VfB Stuttgart beat Skonto Academy 8:1 on Monday. Today they defeated Olimpiki Tbilisi, a team from Georgia, by nine goals to two."

"I hear that one of their players is also like Zachary and has managed to score seven goals in two matches," Kasongo observed. He was taking small, careful bites of food.

"Someone called Timo Werner," Paul chipped in, sighing. "He's a very skilled forward—a natural number-9 supported by several good midfielders from VfB Stuttgart's academy."

"I hear they've got another star player—Joshua Kimmich. He has got the most assists on their team," Kendrick said, leaning forward, cutting into his fried salmon. "Their team may be the strongest in the tournament."

Kasongo smiled softly. "It's great that they can only possibly meet us in the semis or finals," he said before seeping on his juice.

"Have any of you got any news of results from group D?" Zachary inquired. He was almost halfway through his meal.

"That should have been the easiest group." Paul sighed, shaking his head. "The last time I checked, Ado Den Haag was leading with three points. I'm not aware of how they performed in the matches today."

"We should be worrying about the game tomorrow instead," Kendrick intoned, rolling his eyes. "I don't want to lose against Genoa."

"Good point, Kendrick." Zachary nodded, giving his flatmate a thumbs-up. "I wonder why Coach Johansen hasn't called for the pre-match tactical meeting. It usually happens on the day before a game."

"I think we'll have the meeting tomorrow morning," Paul replied. "The match is scheduled for 7:00 in the evening."

**** ****

After dinner, Zachary and Kasongo headed back to their room. They talked a bit about the matches for a few more minutes—until Kasongo got tired and entered his bed for the night.

Zachary glanced at his watch, noticing that it was still 8:00 PM. He'd slept for a few hours after the BK Frem match and didn't feel drowsy yet.

He decided to train in the system simulator for a few hours before going to bed. So, he opened the G.O.A.T Skills tab to select the skills he would practice in the simulator.

****

->G.O.A.T Skills: 5

(i) ZINEDINE VISUAL JUJU

(1st-level: Progress: 72.021%)

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(ii) ZACHARY-ARROW-SHOT

(2nd-level: Progress: 1%)

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(iii) BEND-IT LIKE BECKHAM JUJU

(1st-level: Progress: 72.43%)

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(iv) Cruyff-turn

(Progress: 100%, Mastered.)

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(v) Ronaldinho's Elastico Dribble

(1st-level Progress: 32%)

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->G.O.A.T Skills Simulator

*Activate *Deactivate

(Activation costs 2 Juju-points per hour)

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****

Zachary had noticed that the Cruyff-turn and the Elastico-dribble had been—added to his G.O.A.T skills after the match against JFC Riga. It seemed like every skill he successfully performed on the pitch would be included in his G.O.A.T skills tab. Most likely, he had to execute the moves on the playing field first, before the system could add them to his repertoire.

The system would then develop a specialized training program for those skills in the simulator.

He was in a good mood since he could practice the new skills in the system simulator. For the past two nights, he'd practiced the Cruyff-turn to a complete mastery of 100%. That was why he had been able to use it efficiently in the match against BK Frem earlier that day.

The G.O.A.T Skills Simulator was the perfect virtual reality training program. The 3D models of football stars in the simulator could easily implant the required body motions, postures, and reflexes needed by a player to perform a move. That was how Zachary had managed to advance his set-piece technique in a short period.

However, he understood that fitness was the basis of his skill development. With the help of the elixirs from the system, he was able to improve his fitness quickly, enabling him to learn the skills without much effort.

He was sure that he would have found it impossible to master the Cruyff-turn, for instance, if he didn't have A- graded body control. He would have tumbled to the ground on every single attempt if his balance and coordination didn't meet the skill requirements. That would be analogous to fitting a Bugatti engine into a Toyota Corona. It wouldn't be able to power the car to speeds beyond 300km/hr without all the specialized systems and aerodynamic shape of the original vehicle. The vehicle would 'simply' fall apart if you pushed it too far without specialized stabilizers, braking systems, tires, shock absorbers, and other parts.

So, Zachary had resolved to intensify his fitness training when he returned to Trondheim after the tournament. He would have to train his body in advance before he received any more skills from the system. That was the best way to prepare for the later stages of his career.

Zachary sighed and forcefully broke himself out of his contemplation. Physical fitness training could wait. He had to focus on the match against Genoa Youth the following day at 7:00 PM.

He activated the G.O.A.T Skills Simulator, spent two Juju-points, and started practicing the Bend-it like Beckham Juju for the next one hour. He had a feeling that the freekick technique would come in handy soon.