THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Another three weeks quickly flashed by as Zachary continued his personalized training. He was alone in Barcelona since Camilla had chosen to return to Trondheim two weeks ago to honor her work duties. So, he'd already started spending more time practicing either in the gym or on the training grounds. His determination to improve himself before the new season was just that incredible.

A few days ago, he'd once again made a breakthrough in his training and managed to elevate his ball-control attribute to the S- grading. Additionally, he could feel that his dribbling skills were improving at an astounding rate as he underwent targeted practice to grasp the Robinho-step-over Juju.

However, no matter how much he trained, he still couldn't speed up the rate at which he mastered the step-over skill itself.

For the past four weeks, he'd spent many hours training either in the system's simulator or on the training turfs in Barcelona. He'd been very dedicated the entire time and had always made sure to train his side-stepping and feinting skills on a daily basis. Be that as it may, his mental conditioning progress for the Robinho-step-over Juju had only just hit the 70% mark while his physical conditioning was a bit behind, at 60%. Thence, he had to undergo targeted training for 20 to 30 more days before mastering the skill and making it his own.

He was really short on time since the match against Fiorentina in the Europa League round of thirty-two was just ten days away. However, he still decided to continue training and honing his skills until the Rosenborg management recalled him to Trondheim for the new season.

On this day, the sun bloomed as usual on the horizon as it cast golden petals that stretched ever outwards into the rich blue. Dawn had once again descended onto Barcelona City with a new freshness of the morning.

On one of the small streets near the Hilton Barcelona Hotel, Zachary was jogging at a constant pace. He was slightly out of breath and already sweating buckets since he'd been running for the past forty minutes. However, he persisted and continued pushing himself until he arrived at the hotel entrance a few minutes later.

"Welcome back," a voice of a young lady sounded from beside him just as he'd walked through the entrance of the Hilton Barcelona Hotel.

"Thank you, Gabriela," Zachary replied with a smile on his face since he was familiar with the lady. She was one of the receptionists who worked the early morning shift at the hotel. She was professional and had helped Zachary complete several chores over the past four weeks. So, he had quite a good impression of her.

"How was your morning run?" Gabriella asked with a smile.

"Fulfilling," Zachary replied with a single word.

"That's great." She smiled. "Should I send your breakfast up to your room, or will you eat from the restaurant?"

"Send it to my room," Zachary said.

"Okay, then. I'll have someone bring you breakfast in about 30 minutes. If you need anything else, please call reception."

"Thank you," Zachary said. He then made some more small talk with the beautiful receptionist before taking the elevator and making his way to his room on the eighth floor.

After arriving in his room, he went through a five-minute stretching routine to cool down his muscles before taking a quick shower. He then donned a new fresh tracksuit before settling down on his bed and starting to browse the sports news on his laptop.

There was a lot of hype about the upcoming 2014 World Cup on the internet. Many football enthusiasts were starting to speculate that Brazil might win the tournament for the sixth time since it was the host nation this year. However, Zachary just scoffed at the sheer mention of the notion. With his knowledge from the future, he was sure that the Germans would steal the show and win their 4th World Cup title. Nevertheless, all that had nothing to do with him since his home country had not qualified for the competition. So, he just curried on browsing the sports news at a leisurely pace until his breakfast arrived a few minutes later.

Breakfast at the hotel was simply lavish. The meal included a sandwich, fried eggs served over potatoes, lots of fruit, plus milk tea and freshly-squeezed orange juice. What could Zachary say? The food was just simply to his liking. So, he wasted no time digging in and stuffing himself with the various dishes.

"Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt!"

Suddenly, his phone started vibrating from a nearby table just as he was about to finish his breakfast. On picking it up and glancing at the screen, he noticed that the call was from Coach Johansen. So, without losing a second, he tapped the accept button and held the phone against his ear.

"Hello, coach," he said after clearing his throat. "How's your morning?"

"My morning is fine, Zachary," the coach replied from the other end of the line. "What about you? How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay and training as usual."

"That's good to know. Are you still in Barcelona?"

"Yes," Zachary replied.

"We're playing Fiorentina on the 20th of Feb," the coach said. "That is just ten days from now. So, we'll start serious preparations for the match tomorrow."

"Oh, okay," Zachary said. "I'll book a flight back to Norway right away. I should be in Trondheim tomorrow afternoon."

"That's great," Coach Johansen said, his voice growing more vibrant. "We'll talk more when you arrive tomorrow. Have a safe journey."

"Thanks, coach. But just one moment."

"Yes, Zachary!"

"Did you manage to assess those three players that I previously mentioned?"

"Yes, I did," Coach Johansen was quick to reply. "As you had said, they were all players filled with potential. So, I fought very hard to sign the three of them. But in the end, we managed to acquire the services of only two of them."

"One is the Japanese forward, Takumi Minamino, who has been playing for Cerezo Osaka," the coach continued. "He's a fluid attacker that can move freely while on the pitch and unlock the opposing defense with the right pass at the right moment."

"The second player we've managed to sign is Karl Toko Ekambi. He's still a bit rough around the edges. But we can still use him as a winger since he possesses incredible pace and good footwork. The two players have already arrived in Trondheim and are already training with the team."

"That's great," Zachary said excitedly. "Thanks, coach, for strengthening the team once again."

Zachary was simply glad that Rosenborg had gone ahead and acquired the signature of those two players. That was because they were footballers who'd achieved an adequate measure of success during his previous life.

Takumi Minamino had gone on to play for big clubs such as Red Bull Salzburg, Liverpool, and Southampton. On the other hand, Karl Toko Ekambi had quickly grown into a powerful forward who played for clubs such as Villarreal and Lyon. For sure, they were players filled with an immense amount of potential, and as long as they were given an opportunity, they would shine.

Many more attacking options had just opened up after Rosenborg acquired their signatures. As a result, the team would no longer need to rely just on himself and Nick to score goals.

"Zachary," the coach said from the other side of the line after a moment. "You really surprised me once again. It's as if you are a natural-born scout who can always spot players filled with potential. I would have surely employed you as a scout here at Rosenborg if you weren't an incredible footballer yourself."

Zachary suppressed a chuckle. "I was just lucky to spot the two players on one of their good days when they were playing for their respective clubs."

"If you say so," the coach said. "By the way, Zachary. Have you considered switching to a smaller jersey number?"

"Not at all. I still like my number-33."

"Why?"

"It has three in it, which tallies with one of the numbers in my birth date."

"When is your birthday?"

"3rd of December."

"Oh, then we should maybe consider offering you the number-3 jersey," the coach said, his tone humorous.

"And then will you also play me as a left-back?"

"That would be a waste of your talents." Coach Johansen remarked. "Anyways: For marketing purposes, the management has proposed to offer you either shirt number-8 or shirt number-10. Those numbers match your role on the team more perfectly. So, which option will you choose?"

"Can I keep my number-33?"

"That isn't an option."

"Then, I guess I'll have to go with the number-8," Zachary said after a moment of contemplation. There was no way he could refuse both options since changing to a smaller shirt number was one of the terms of the contract extension he'd signed with Rosenborg. He could at least afford to give up some preferences, especially since the club was already paying him a monthly income of 1.2 million NOK without factoring in match bonuses.

"Number-8 is a good number," the coach commented. "The fans will surely love it."

"I guess so."

"Okay, Zachary," the coach said after a moment. "Let me leave you to prepare so that you can return to Trondheim as soon as possible. We'll talk more when you arrive. Have a safe journey."

"Thanks, coach," Zachary replied before ending the call.

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