THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Concurrently in one of the conference rooms at Rosenborg's Head Office at Brakka—

A Rosenborg Club management meeting was taking place to finalize the terms of Zachary's contract.

Boyd Johansen, the newly appointed head coach of the Rosenborg senior team, sat on the left side of Ivar Koteng, the club chairman. A half-smile outlined his face as he listened to Mr. Daniel Malvik, the club's chief legal advisor, laying out his arguments. Mr. Malvik was attempting to dissuade the management and board members from approving Zachary's high-salary contract.

"We're taking a huge risk by offering a player fresh out of the academy that kind of money," Mr. Malvik said, his tone matter-of-factly. "I'm aware that he has been performing well—but that doesn't guarantee he'll continue playing at the same level when he joins the senior team. We could end up incurring a sizeable loss if we go ahead with this deal."

"Such arguments are baseless," Ivar Koteng, the club chairman, cut in, his tone dismissive. "I've already watched the video performances of Zachary during the Riga, SIA, and Norway Youth Cups. I can say this with a hundred percent confidence. Zachary's level is far above the average player in the Tippeligaen. What do you think, Coach Johansen?" The chairman asked, casting a glance towards him.

Coach Johansen cleared his throat before answering. "I've been coaching Zachary since he arrived here in Trondheim. I support the chairman's decision. In just two years, he has refined his skills to become one of the most promising young players in all of Europe. The boy has boundless potential. He's one of the few players with the capability to claim a place among the greats."

"Those of you who aren't convinced should watch his match videos from the SIA or Riga Cups. He faced off against some of the best youth teams in Europe." Coach Johansen smiled softly, letting his gaze roam across the other executives on the table. "Zachary always managed to maintain his composure and scored even when the rest of his teammates underperformed."

"I have the utmost confidence that he'll continue growing even after joining the senior team. If I had been—tasked with drafting the contract, I would have offered him more money to motivate him more during his time at the club." He added in a serious tone.

"I'm not trying to argue that Zachary lacks talent," Mr. Malvik chipped in, shaking his head. "My main concern is about the contract terms. Although the new deal firmly tethers him to the club for the next two years, it also commits us to keep him in the squad—whether he performs or not. If the latter happens, and we want him out of the starting roster, we would have to pay an excessive amount of penalty fees."

The chief legal advisor locked gazes with Coach Johansen before continuing. "Coach, you must have received the results of Zachary's medical. You should have noticed a few points of concern in his report."

"Is there a problem with Zachary's fitness?" The club chairman cut in, frowning.

"No, not at all," Mr. Malvik hurriedly corrected, waving an arm for emphasis. "There're no issues with his fitness. In fact, he's one of the fittest youth players that I have ever come across."

"Then what's the problem?" The chairman probed, casting a cursory glance towards Coach Johansen.

"There is only one concern regarding Zachary," Coach Johansen cut in, so-as-to make things clear. "He seems to have entered a late growth spurt over the past few months. In just six months, Zachary has grown a couple of inches. He should be 6, 4 feet at the moment. We're not yet sure if he'll continue growing." the coach explained.

"But, I can assure you this growth spurt will not affect Zachary's performance when he joins the senior team," he continued. "We'll tailor him special training routines to help him acclimatize to his growing physique. You have my word on this." He added ardently.

"If I may make the issue clear, Mr. Chairman," Mr. Malvik cut in, straightening his black neck-tie. "Although I'm not a fitness coach, I'm aware that such a growth spurt is the worst nightmare for young players entering the professional stage. Let me give an example."

"In 2007, the Italian giants AC Milan signed Alexandre Pato from Internacional at €24 million. Pato was one of the most promising talents from Brazil that year. During his first game against Napoli, he scored a superb goal. Everyone was—convinced that he would have a brilliant career. Like our Zachary, he was fast, skilled, precise, and one of the most clinical young players. He seemed to have the potential to win at least one Ballon d'Or in the course of his career."

"However, only six months after his debut at AC Millan, everything started going wrong," Mr. Malvik lowered his voice for emphasis. Nonetheless, it still carried to everyone in the room.

"A few factors led to his marked decrease in form. Arguably, he wasn't up to the challenge in the top league. Or maybe the temptations nurtured by earning loads of money, much higher than his previous income, lowered his focus."

"However, what negatively affected him the most was his late growth spurt which messed up his running and dribbling posture. Mr. Johansen, as a coach, should understand this issue better than I."

"As a result, he started getting injured all the time due to his messed up dribbling and running posture. That was the true beginning of his decline."

"I'm not saying that the growth spurt is the only thing that could affect Zachary," the chief legal advisor added. "There're many other things that could go wrong and affect his performance. Maybe, a bad girlfriend, an unknown sickness, etc. We shouldn't offer him such a lucrative contract before observing his performance and attitude at the professional level. That's all I have to say."

Ivar Koteng, the chairman, nodded. "I understand your worries, Mr. Malvik. However, any investment is often a risk. You may buy real estate only for an earthquake to ravage your property the next day. You may purchase shares of a listed company, but the next month, it goes bankrupt."

The chairman locked gazes with Mr. Malvik and added. "I believe that Zachary Bemba is a worthwhile investment. Moreover, we haven't paid much in the grand scheme of things to acquire his services. Just imagine if we were to buy a player of his class from another academy. How much would we have had to pay? I would say probably a lot." He laughed, shaking his head. "Isn't that right, Coach Johansen?"

"Yes, chairman," Coach Johansen replied, nodding. "A player of his caliber is valued at around 20 - 25 million Euros in the current transfer market. We're lucky to pick him up for free."

All the nine executives in the conference room, except Mr. Malvik, laughed at that.

"Anyways," the chairman chipped in, leaning back in his chair. "I'm of the view that we maintain the current terms of Zachary's contract." He paused, casting a glance towards the legal advisor. "Mr. Malvik, I'm aware of the legal implications of this deal. However, I'm willing to take a gamble on Zachary's talent in this case. If he performs, we will have made a big profit. If he doesn't, we will count this as another small loss for the club. No need to worry too much about it. Okay?"

"Yes, chairman," Mr. Malvik replied.

"Great," the chairman nodded, grinning. "Let's prepare for the signing ceremony. Zachary and his agent should be coming here in about an hour. Since he's a locally grown talent—straight out of the academy, we should do our best to welcome him to the senior team."

**** ****