THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Coach Johansen continued discussing the line-up for a few more minutes. He pointed out the individual roles of each player in the squad before concluding the team meeting. He released the players for their lunch break after reminding them about the next training session—slated for later that evening.

Nicki Nielson came up to Zachary's seat right after the meeting. "Congratulations on making the squad," he said, grinning.

"Thank you," Zachary replied, returning the smile.

"Against Strindheim, we'll both be in the starting eleven. I'm counting on receiving many assists from you." He patted Zachary's shoulder gently. He didn't show any hint of the solemn demeanor he was known for on the field.

Nicki Nielson was one of the few squad members that had continued trying to interact with Zachary over the previous two months. That was after he had put in a great effort to distance himself from the rest of his teammates. The striker always tried to make small talk with him even after Zachary made it clear he wished to be alone.

Even met with silence, Nicki would stand by his side and continue talking. He seemed not to mind whether he got a response or not. At first, Zachary had felt uncomfortable, but later, he slowly got used to the chatty number-9. That way, he became more and more familiar with his presence and even considered him as a friend to some extent.

"Would you like to join us in the game room as we wait for lunch?" The striker inquired, still smiling at Zachary.

The game room was the chamber close to the dressing room where players spent time playing indoor games as a form of relaxation during breaks. It was well-equipped with card and board games. However, none of the entertainment was up Zachary's alley. He preferred to spend the time in the gym doing a light stretching routine instead of sitting through half an hour of a card game.

He decided to reject the invitation in the most polite way he could think of at that moment. Despite not wishing to get closer to the others on the team, he didn't want to offend them. That was why he had maintained a very polite bearing even while trying to keep his distance from the rest of the team over the previous two months.

"Can I take a raincheck for today?" He asked. "I still have to complete some gym work."

"Are you trying to brush me off once again?" Nicki said, raising a brow. "From my understanding, your fitness training should have ended the moment you made the squad. You'd better come and join in on the cards. Over a game of cards, you can quickly get to know your teammates better."

Zachary couldn't find a counter to that. He was at a loss for words, without any way to refuse the skipper's invitation politely.

Over the previous month, he had found it hard to reject the invitations of a few of his teammates—especially when he didn't have much of an excuse. Fortunately, he could still escape before joining the squad since he was undergoing progressive overload training under Coach Bjørn Peters. The training was intense and left him without energy for anything else. All his teammates knew that simple fact and did not try too hard to push him into joining events that they claimed were for the necessary team bonding. But at that moment, he had no excuse to refuse Nicki since he was already part of the squad.

As he racked his brains, trying to find a way to brush off the skipper politely, Coach Johansen's voice sounded, saving him from the awkward exchange.

"Zachary, follow me to my office." the coach said as he passed his seat, heading for the door. "I want to discuss a few things with you."

"Yes, coach," Zachary replied dutifully, feeling thankful for the coach's timely intervention.

Without further ado, he said his regrets to Nicki in the most polite way he could muster before following the coach out of the tactics room. Two minutes later, he stepped into the head coach's office at Lerkendal Idresspark.

He could feel a sense of adventure woven into his nervousness like he was getting the first sure-footing on a great rock climb. He had no guesses on why the coach had sought him out after the meeting. So, when he settled in a chair beside Coach Johansen's desk, he felt his heart start to race. What if the coach had changed his mind once more? He couldn't help but wonder. The two months out of the squad had lessened his confidence.

"Don't be nervous," Coach Johansen said, apparently noticing his discomfort. "I only called you here to discuss your aspirations in the club." He smiled, settling in the chair behind his not-so-organized L-shaped desk. A laptop, a Rosenborg coffee mug, papers, five-by-seven cards with unfinished gameplays, pens, and markers—Zachary could see all that lying haphazardly on top of the laminated surface of the desk.

"Coach Bjørn Peters has already informed me about the hard work you put into your training over the past two months," the coach continued with a faint smile. "I also received a report from Dr. Alexander Øystein yesterday about your fitness. So, we can safely say that we may have partially handled the scare of your growth spurt—to some extent. Since you have finally made it to the squad, I would like to know which role you wish to play on this team."

Zachary nodded but chose to remain silent and wait for the head coach to continue.

"Zachary, let me ask you this," he continued. "Which numbers would you wish to play on the Rosenborg starting line-up? Where do you feel most comfortable?"

"Central Midfield," Zachary replied matter-of-factly. "The best position for me would be attacking midfield, right behind the forwards."

Coach Johansen nodded. He inclined his head and regarded Zachary with a thoughtful expression before saying: "You must understand we have several talented and experienced midfielders in the squad. There is Mike Jensen, Mix Diskerud, Jonas Svensson, Borek Dockal, Ole Selnæs, Daniel Berntsen, Fredrik Midtsjö, Jaime Alás, and of course, now, there's you." He listed nearly all the midfielders on the team in a single breath.

"All those are remarkable players capable of tearing teams in the Tippeligaen apart with just their passing skills," the coach continued. "We also can't forget the younger midfielders that are also awaiting their chance on the reserve team. They are among the top players of the reserve league as I speak now."

"So, as you can see, we have plenty of midfielders. But you have to remember that for each match, I can only select three or four midfielders for the starting eleven. That creates very fierce competition for the few spots available in the midfield. All the midfielders have to struggle hard through weekly training to get a spot on my starting line-up."

"But if we're to talk about the wings, there is almost no competition. Aside from Tobias Mikkelsen, we don't have any natural speedy wingers on the team that can double as forwards in our regular 4-3-3 formation."

"So, I would like to ask you." The coach leaned forward and locked gazes with Zachary. "Would you like to switch positions and play on the wings? I was your coach for two years in the academy. I understand your abilities and playing style quite well. I'm very sure you would do well on both the right and left flanks since you can use both legs."

"You'll get a lot of playing time because of your speed and your passing accuracy, which could lead to some spectacular crosses. That's enough to help us win more games. So, what do you think about my proposition? Would you consider playing on the flanks?"

Zachary remained silent for a moment, deliberating on the issue. He understood that by the time the coach decided to ask him such a question, he had already started considering him as a player with great potential as a winger.

If Zachary accepted the coach's proposition, he would get to play a lot of football during his debut season since there seemed to be a severe shortage of wingers on the squad.

But he didn't want to play on the wings. He could only showcase his passing skills fully in the midfield. Moreover, playing on the wing had its disadvantages. Since wingers tended to run with the ball a lot more, trying to beat defenders with pace or dribbling, they got injured quite often. As a consequence, it was an unsustainable position to play in the long run, especially for a tall player like him.

"Coach," Zachary said after deliberating for a moment. "I would like to continue playing as a central midfielder. I can play better there than I ever would on the wings. So, I request that you give me some chances in the middle of the park. I will not disappoint you." He added, his voice unwavering.