THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Thirty minutes later, they were seated opposite each other in the cozy restaurant with their meals set before them. They had already begun dining on their pick of the delicious African dishes, including spiced lamb, vegetables, and various stews that Zachary couldn't identify.

"This food is really delightful," Zachary said after swallowing down a piece of lamb. "It reminds me of home."

"That's why I selected the place," Mr. Stein said, looking up from his plate and fixing his gaze on Zachary. "You seem to really miss your home."

"Home is not what I miss, to be exact," Zachary said, shaking his head. "Rather, it's my grandma that I miss. She must be living alone in Lubumbashi, and I feel guilty for leaving her there."

"Don't worry about her," Mr. Stein said, sighing. "I'm sure that what makes her happiest is seeing you succeed rather than keeping her company. I'm saying this from experience as a parent who's also a grandparent."

"I hope that's the case," Zachary said, forking another piece of lamb and placing it in his mouth.

"So, have you gotten any endorsement offers since starting your career?" Mr. Stein asked after a short while.

"Yes, I got one from Audi," Zachary replied. "Their representative who dealt with my agent seems to know you. She's a lady called Susanne Berdal."

"Oh, I know Susanne," Mr. Stein said, smiling. "Going by her character and usual way of doing things, she must have come to you with a good offer."

"Yes, she did," Zachary confirmed after sipping on his juice. "That's the very reason I accepted Audi's offer right away."

"Audi is a good partner, especially in the Scandinavian sports industry," Mr. Stein remarked. "If you handle them well, you'll reap plenty of profits from them in the near future."

"That's what I'm targeting," Zachary said. "Let's hope they remain good partners."

"So, have you thought about investing part of the money you're earning?" Mr. Stein probed, matching Zachary's gaze. "You know that if you invest adequately, in a proper way, you'll surely lead a good life."

"I just signed my first professional contract about three months ago," Zachary said. "So, I haven't thought seriously about making any investments yet."

"Oh, that's not good," Mr. Stein said, shaking his head. "May I present you with a business idea? You can first listen and then decide whether it's worth investing in afterward."

"Please go ahead," Zachary said, placing his fork to the side. Of course, he wouldn't refuse to take advice from one of the people he respected most in the entire world. Moreover, he had a feeling that pitching the business proposal to him was probably the main reason Mr. Stein had invited him to Bergen.

"Since you're from Africa, why not think about starting a sports agency and talent development center based there?" Mr. Stein asked, his voice low but steady. "I'm sure you'll continue growing as a footballer with time. In a few years, you'll most likely be world-famous. By then, your name alone will be able to market your agency, and a lot of young talented players from around Africa will flock to your organization. Coaches around the continent will want to work for you and bring more players to your agency."

"With that, you will be able to kill two birds with one stone," the old scout continued. "One: you'll help many talents around your home country develop their skills and get some exposure through your agency. And two: you'll make a lot of money in the future after having done all that good."

"Can such a business really be profitable?" Zachary asked, his tone skeptical. "Why do I feel like I'll make losses if I implement your idea?"

"I'm quite sure that you won't be making a loss," Mr. Stein said assuredly. "Think about it this way. You'll be able to make a profit even If you're only able to discover a single gifted player — among the young talents at your agency once every five years. Moreover, you can even employ high-profile scouts to move around and search for talents all around the continent. That way, you'll never make a loss."

"So, if my agency manages to discover a talented player once in a while, I'll be able to make good money?" Zachary asked, feeling his heart start to race.

"Yes, of course," Mr. Stein affirmed after taking a sip on his wine. "If one of your scouts discovers a gifted player, you'll go ahead and invite them to your talent development center. And since you're most likely going to turn into a highly skilled world-famous player, those talents won't reject your offer."

"Your reputation alone will force those prospective talents to fight for places at your academy," he continued. "What you'll do is train them for some time and then connect them to professional clubs afterward — that's for a fee, of course. You can even have your agency represent them to make more money off them. That's a simple business idea that I've always wanted to implement for as long as I can remember."

"That seems like an incredible idea when you put it like that," Zachary said after a moment of deliberation.

He'd just recalled that since he'd clear knowledge of the future, he could use it to find a lot of the soon-to-be-famous talented players that were still rising in the ranks of their home leagues. If he could create an agency and represent them, maybe he would make good money when they became high-profile stars in the near future. But there was only one problem, though.

"Mr. Stein," he said, sighing. "I like your idea. But the problem is that I'll have to wait until I make some more money before thinking about implementing it. I'm sure that building all the associated facilities, hiring staff, and even the marketing — all need a great deal of capital. I don't think I'll be able to raise that sort of money any time soon."

"That brings me to my next point, Zachary," Mr. Stein said, smiling amiably. "It's understandable that you don't have enough money to make such a huge investment at the moment since you've just started your career. But what if I helped? Would you be willing to think about implementing the idea?"

"What do you mean?" Zachary asked, leaning forward to plant his elbows on the table.

"What I mean is simple," Mr. Stein stated after sipping some more wine. "We could partner up to start the business. Going by my initial estimates, such a project would need approximately 80 million NOK to launch. That's slightly over 7 million Euros — if I'm doing the calculations right. So, my idea is to contribute the startup capital of approximately that amount. We shall then go ahead and go through all procedures with the aim of starting the implementation at the beginning of next year. What do you think?"

Zachary could not help but let out a breath of pent-up air after listening to Mr. Stein's proposal. "I'm overwhelmed," he said after a short while. "That's quite the big-money project you're proposing."

"Please, don't get overwhelmed by the figures," Mr. Stein said, smiling kindly. "I'm sure that you'll be able to make that kind of money in only a few years. Just take a moment to think about the proposal as you enjoy the food. You don't even have to give me a response now. There's no pressure."

Zachary nodded and took a sip on his juice as he mulled over the matter. "If you provide the startup capital," he said, "then who'll be the owner of the business after it's registered?"

Mr. Stein smiled on hearing that. "As I already explained, we cannot successfully implement the idea if we lack a renowned football star to boost it up. And that football star is, in this case, you. Because of that, I cannot start the business alone. So, I'll only request that you let me own 45% of the business — the reason being that I'll be providing the startup and bringing my experience to the table. And for you, who will be the sole attraction of potential clients, can own 55%. I think that's a good offer. Don't you think so?"

Zachary smiled wryly on hearing that. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure that I can make a rational decision about your proposal right away. I don't have any experience starting up a company and don't know what to make of your proposal. So, I'm requesting that you give me a few days to think it over."

"Sure," Mr. Stein was quick to reply. "Take your time and do some research when you head back home. There's no pressure. You can give me a response when you return to Trondheim after the break."

"Okay, then," Zachary said, smiling. "Thank you for your understanding."

"One more thing," Mr. Stein said, his tone turning somber. "Please do take note and avoid accepting endorsement contracts from non-reputable companies. Don't just accept any endorsement contract just because they are offering you some good money. You'll fall in trouble sooner or later if you keep on doing that. Okay?"

"Oh," Zachary said, creasing a brow. "What kind of companies are you referring to?"

"Some betting companies which are not reputable for one. There are also shell corporations without active business operations or significant assets. They may not affect you directly but can tarnish your reputation if they use your name for questionable purposes. To avoid falling prey to them, you can always consult your agent and hire some experts to review the endorsement offers for you. Mr. Fredrik Helge, the guy we just met at the airport, can especially help you with that. That is because before joining the sports industry, he was a forensic accountant."

"Okay, then," Zachary said, nodding. "I'll take note."

"Good." Mr. Stein smiled. "Since the business discussions are over, let's get back to enjoying some food."

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