THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary's signing ceremony proceeded without much fanfare. There were no journalists present when he put his signature down on the final contract. The only people present to witness his signing by the senior team were the four Rosenborg executives and a single photographer. However, he wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Despite not attracting a crowd for his first professional signing ceremony, he still felt happy to confirm his employment with the top Norwegian club.

Zachary and Emily left Brakka with Coach Johansen in his car immediately after the conclusion of the ceremony. They were—accompanied by Mr. Erik Hoftun, the sporting director of Rosenborg.

They set a course for Lerkendal Stadion to complete the procedures involved in Zachary's initiation to the senior team. He was yet to select a locker, take a tour of the stadium, and meet with the Rosenborg officials in charge of publicity.

"Zachary," intoned Coach Johansen as he navigated a roundabout and steered his Ford Ranger into the street leading to the gates of Lerkendal Stadion. "I suggest you take a few days off after completing the procedures today. You should go home and do whatever you have to do today. Make sure everything in your life is in order. Then, rejoin the team for the training session on Monday at 9:00 AM."

"I might as well continue training with the team today," Zachary replied, smiling. He had made himself comfortable beside Emily in the back seat of Coach Johansen's car.

"Young man," Mr. Erik Hoftun, the sporting director seated in the front passenger seat, chipped in. "I advise you to take Coach Johansen's advice. It's a good idea to take this weekend off and relax your body and mental state. The training will feel like hell starting this Monday since we'll be commencing serious preparations for the new season. The sessions won't be anything like the half-assed regimens you had grown used to in the academy."

"Yes, director," Zachary replied half-heartedly. He was reluctant to take the weekend off since he intended to acquire a starting position on the team as quickly as possible. Missing the next two days of first-team training would lessen his chances considerably. Nonetheless, he decided to respect the coach's advice and stay at home for the weekend. He had been waiting three months to finalize the contract with Rosenborg. He could afford to wait two more days.

"That's great," Coach Johansen said without taking his eyes off the road. "I've been your coach for the past two years. All I can say is you're one of the most focused young players that I've ever trained. Your work ethic is commendable." He paused, stepping on the brakes as he neared a zebra-crossing.

"Thank you for your praise," Zachary replied, nodding slightly.

"However, I've noticed a problem that may affect your performance as a professional athlete, maybe sooner or later," said the coach.

"A problem!" Zachary mumbled, frowning.

In his two years at the academy, he had followed a strict training schedule and not wasted any time. Whether it was the coldest of winter days or the Christmas holiday, he had never missed a training session. So, he was at a loss regarding the problem that could affect his performance as a professional player. He waited anxiously for the coach to explain himself.

"Yes, there is an issue," Coach Johansen emphasized. "I've got no qualms about your work ethic and commitment towards training. However, you've got no social life outside of football. You've spent two years in Trondheim, but all you do is train and train and train."

"A social life!" Zachary was once again perplexed. He was in Norway to play football and make money. However, the coach had just mentioned that his lack of social life was a problem that could potentially hinder his career. Was that a joke? Moreover, the so-called social life was what had destroyed his career in his previous life.

"Yes, you lack a social life," the coach continued in a somber tone. "If I may ask, do you have a girlfriend? Or do you have more than three friends out of the football field?"

Zachary decided to maintain his silence.

"If the answers to those questions are on the negative, then you really lack a social life. As a coach, I'm only somewhat glad that you have been committing all your time to your career. However, once in a while, you need to let loose and relax. Having a girlfriend is one of the ways to unwind in the hectic world of football. Otherwise, you'll crumble, sooner or later."

"You and your agent should create a detailed schedule for your training from now on. The timetable should include well-defined resting times for the best effect. If possible, you should hire a professional trainer to help you with this. Miss Emily, what say you?"

"Coach, I think that's a great idea," Emily replied cheerfully. "Before I leave Trondheim, I'll help Zachary hire a fitness trainer. Regarding the rest issue, we could work with the club to achieve that. Moreover, there's a clause about this in the contract."

"But even if there is a clause, do you think Zachary would take a rest when he's given a day off?" Coach Johansen asked.

Both Emily and the sporting director burst into laughter at that.

They continued discussing Zachary's career as they neared the gates of the stadium. The coach continued giving Zachary advice on how to make it big on the professional stage. He even mentioned the problem of the late growth spurt that could potentially lead to injuries. He declared that he would be designing a training regimen to acclimatize Zachary to his growing physique come the following week. Coach Johansen wanted to ensure Zachary's risk of injury due to the growth spurt was reduced to the bare minimum before his debut.

"Emily, this must be your first time at Lerkendal?" Mr. Erik Hoftun, the sporting director, inquired as Coach Johansen steered the car into the gates of the stadium.

"You're wrong, director," Emily replied, shaking her head. "This is like my fourth time here at Lerkendal. Most of my meetings with Mr. Malvik took place here."

"But, I'm sure you didn't get a chance to tour the stadium," queried the sporting director, turning back to face Emily.

"You're right," Emily concurred. "This will be my first tour around Lerkendal. So, I'll take plenty of pics for my Facebook page." She smiled.

"Coach," Zachary chipped in as Coach Johansen steered his car into the parking lot. "I heard there are two pre-season matches against the Swedish teams, Malmo and Örebro SK, scheduled for next week. If I perform well in the Monday training, could I get a chance to join the starting squad?"

Coach Johansen laughed, shaking his head. "Zach, we've got to take things slow on the first team. I know you're very talented, but we need to handle your growth spurt problem first. We don't want our most promising young talent to get injured in a friendly even before the season starts." He paused, opening the door and stepping out of the vehicle. The rest followed suit and stepped out of the black Ford through their respective doors.

"Zach," the coach continued, his tone somber. "I implore you to take your growth spurt problem seriously. You have grown a couple of inches over only a few months. That will affect your running and dribbling posture. If you don't handle this carefully, you'll end up getting recurrent injuries even before your career takes off. Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach." Zachary nodded. "But I would like to point out that I've been doing a lot of agility enhancing drills over the past few months. I'm fully fit and ready to play at any time without risking injury."

Since his graduation from the academy, Zachary had been pondering the issue of the playing style he could utilize to fit better into the first team. In the academy, he'd mainly played as a half-striker instead of a midfielder. Zachary had often made dribbling runs through defenders to score goals. But he couldn't continue to utilize the same style at the professional stage since the defenders were much more skilled than youth players.

Instead, he intended to refine his game and adopt a precise passing approach in-order-to win a starting position on the Rosenborg first team. He hoped to turn into a Maestro who could dominate the game with only a few touches rather than dribbling through defenders. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about getting injured despite experiencing a late growth spurt. But for that to happen, the coach had to give him a chance to prove himself in a match first.

"Well, we'll see about that," Coach Johansen replied, picking his bag from the cabin of the Ford. "If you're fully fit, you can join the squad sooner than expected. But you need to know that it's not just my approval that you need to win over. You've also got to impress your teammates to the extent that they don't doubt your ability. That way, they won't question my decision when I add you to the squad. So, work hard, young man. But for now, let's forget the squad and training. Go with Mr. Hoftun to select your locker and finish the transfer procedures. We shall deal with the rest on Monday."

Lerkendal Stadion, the home ground of Rosenborg BK located three kilometers south of the city center, was a feast for the eyes. It was an all-seater stadium consisting of four three-tier grandstands without corners with a capacity for 21,421 spectators. About thirteen thousand were in club seating and luxury boxes on the center tier of all four stands.

Zachary and Emily followed Mr. Hoftun as they toured the stadium. They walked through all the Lerkendal Idresspark sports facilities, including the gyms, the three pitches, and the locker rooms.

Zachary had been training with the first team for a few months, so he was aware of most of the facilities. But he still followed the sporting director as he took him around the facilities introducing him to different club employees. By evening that day, Zachary had met the publicity secretaries, the various coaches, the gardeners, the gym attendants, and other managers—responsible for the day-to-day running of the Rosenborg facilities.

When he completed the tour, he had a brief meeting with Emily about his contract and hiring a personal trainer in a restaurant close to Rosenborg. He then headed back to his apartment to rest that evening, feeling fulfilled after signing the contract. He intended to purchase a new skill from the system that evening to prepare for the new season.