THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

"DING"

A system notification resounded in Zachary's mind when he returned to his room later that night.

"The user has just scored more than a hat trick against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, which happens to be a top-four German Bundesliga team," the apathetic voice of the system AI followed. "As a result, the user has met the part-condition of the Giant-Killer Hattrick Challenge and acquired another skill shard of Ronaldinho's Step-Over and Feint Kingly Magic."

"The user has now obtained three out of the required twelve shards, meaning that he only has to collect nine more to meet the conditions needed to learn the skill."

"The user should continue working hard and score more hat tricks against the top-four teams of the best European Leagues, including the Italian Serie A, the English Premier League, the French League 1, the Spanish La Liga, and the German Bundesliga. That way, the user can quickly learn Ronaldinho's Step-Over and Feint Kingly Magic and push his game to another level."

Zachary's eyes lit up after hearing what the system AI had to say.

A few weeks ago, during the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals, he had scored a hat trick against Fiorentina, which happened to be a top-four Italian Serie A team, and obtained a skill shard. Then, tonight, during the second leg of the Champions League Round of Sixteen, he bagged another four goals against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a top-four German Bundesliga team, and obtained yet another shard. As such, he had now collected three of the twelve required skill fragments, and he was a step closer to learning Ronaldinho's Step-Over and Feint Kingly Magic.

Imagining all the glory he could get from learning the skill, Zachary's spirits soared. He wasn't satisfied with his current dribbling skills since they were still a level below those of once-in-a-generation dribblers like Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, and Ronaldinho. He figured that if he could learn Ronaldinho's Step-Over and Feint Kingly Magic, he would gain all the tools to consummate his skills and form a never-before-seen potent dribbling style. Then, by utilizing his well-balanced and still evolving physical fitness attributes, he would bring out the best of the dribbling style and turn into a nightmare that every defender, no matter how skilled, would dread. Within two or three years, maybe all football fields would turn into his backyard, and he would achieve the greatness no football player had ever accomplished.

"The Champions League quarter-final draw is on Friday," Zachary mused as he settled on his bed. "I wonder what team we'll get for the quarter-finals."

The teams that had qualified for the Champions League quarter-finals included Real Madrid, FC Porto, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Bayern München, Monaco, and Juventus. If nothing too unexpected transpired, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund would also win their games scheduled for the following day and qualify for the quarters.

Zachary understood that there was rarely a chance for any side to reach the quarters of a prestigious tournament like the Champions League without the matching skills and squad depth. As such, he had long readied himself to meet a strong opponent in the quarter-final. His confidence was boundless after experiencing the recent growth in his skills. No matter whether it was Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Bayern München, he would readily take them on in the quarters, especially since it was better to challenge them sooner rather than later in the Champions League.

"Time to go to bed."

After playing ninety-plus minutes of intense Champions League football, Zachary's energy levels had long sunk below the norm. He didn't go through his pre-bedtime yoga routine but washed up quickly before entering between the sheets. A few minutes later, he slowly dozed off and eventually sunk into a peaceful and long slumber.

The sound of his phone ringing woke him up the following day. Opening his eyes slightly, he immediately realized it was already late in the morning. The sunlight streaming golden through a gap in the curtains illuminated his sleepy face. He raised his hand and shielded his eyes from the assault before extending his hand to pick up the still-ringing phone from the bedside table.

"Hello," he spoke into the phone after pressing the accept button.

"Bonjour, Zachary!" A familiar voice greeted him in French from the other side of the line. "I'm Omar Sangare. We previously talked on the phone."

"Sangare!" Zachary said while pushing himself from the bed into a seating position. "It has been long since we last communicated."

"Yes, it has been a long time. We last talked before the AFCON started. It has been more than two months since then."

"Yes, that's true," Zachary replied. "Congratulations upon winning the AFCON, by the way. The Ivory Coast team was impressive throughout the tournament." As he had expected, Ivory Coast performed well during the 2015 African Cup of Nations tournament. They defeated all opponents and finally emerged Champions after beating Ghana in the finals.

"Thank you, Zachary!" Omar Sangare said from the other end of the line. "We won. But it was tough. Had you been part of our squad, maybe it would have been easier for us to beat Ghana in the finals."

"That may not be the case," Zachary said. "Let's put the past aside. The reason for your call should be to tell me good news. Is that right?"

"That's exactly so," Omar Sangare said. "We have processed everything concerning your citizenship switch and submitted all the required paperwork to CAF and FIFA. You are now officially a citizen of the Ivory Coast and can play for us during the upcoming matches."

"Finally, that's good news," Zachary exclaimed. He had hoped that the Ivory Coast officials would process all his change of nationality paperwork by the end of January. But they had gone up to the end of March before finishing everything. At long last, his patience had paid off, and he could finally play international matches under the banner of the Ivory Coast team.

"Within the next two or three days," Omar Sangare stated, "Someone from our embassy in Italy will deliver the relevant paperwork, including your passport and identity card, to your residence in Turin. Feel free to use them during your upcoming travels."

"Thanks," Zachary said. "Are there any upcoming matches for Ivory Coast? And if there are, will I be part of the Ivory Coast team for those matches?"

"Yes, to all questions," Omar Sangare replied. "There are international friendlies coming up within the next two weeks or so. First, we'll play Angola on Thursday, March 26th, 2015. Then, three days later, on Sunday, March 29th, we'll battle Equatorial Guinea in another friendly. Both matches will be played at home in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Our coach, Hervé Renard, has entrusted me with inviting you to the national team for both matches. Will you manage to come?"

"Of course, I'll travel and be there before the games," Zachary readily answered. He had long crammed the football calendar. He was sure there was a two-week international break after Juventus' upcoming Serie A game against Genoa. As such, nothing would prevent him from traveling to Ivory Coast and joining his new teammates for the friendlies.

Moreover, he understood that he would never get a second chance to make a fine first impression on his teammates. He didn't wish to appear as an arrogant and prideful player who would, without a second thought, dismiss a call from the national team he'd chosen to represent. Instead, Zachary wanted to portray to his new teammates that he was a down-to-earth team player who would become a dedicated comrade during their endeavors to achieve football glory. Following that reasoning, there was no chance he would ignore his first call on the Ivory Coast team, despite knowing he would only get to play in two almost-pointless friendly games.

"I'm glad you chose to join us for the friendlies," Omar Sangare said excitedly. "When do you wish to travel?"

Zachary thought before saying, "My club has a Serie A game against Genoa on Sunday, March 22nd. I can only travel after that. Let's go with Monday, March 23rd. I can take a night flight from Turin on the 23rd and arrive in Ivory Coast the next day."

"Excellent," Omar Sangare exclaimed. "Arriving in Ivory Coast on the 24th will allow you two days of rest before the game against Angola. We'll even get time to conduct a press conference and introduce you to the local fans. It's truly a good plan."

"I'm glad you like the plan. If there's nothing else, I'll be hanging up." Zachary had just looked at the clock and realized that the time was already approaching ten in the morning. He wanted to end the call quickly and start on his other duties for the day.

"Just a moment," Omar Sangare hurriedly said. "Don't spend your money buying a plane ticket. I will e-mail you a first-class night plane ticket from Turin to Abidjan within the next two days. Are there any airlines you prefer?"

"Air France and Royal Air Maroc," Zachary replied. "The two airlines should both have flights from Turin to Abidjan. You can go with any of the two."

"Excellent," Omar Sangare said. "That's all the information I needed. Have a good day, and see you in Abidjan on the 24th."

"Thanks for calling, and see you then. I have to go now. Bye."

Zachary quickly ended the call. He then jumped out of bed and washed his face before starting his morning yoga routine. He was eager to overcome his post-match fatigue and regain a hundred percent match fitness before Juventus' upcoming Serie A home game against Genoa.