THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Meetings With Talent Seekers

"Stephen Mangala, Miche Mika, Edo Kayembe, and Samuel Baraka." Mr. Christophe Benard, head scout of FC Nantes Youth Academy, closed his notebook. He has finished announcing the names of the four players selected for the French sports scholarship. "That's it. Good luck to all of you." He concluded.

"Deeh!" The other players, including several coaches, exclaimed. They began to steal a glance at Zachary who was standing at the very back of the group. He has scored a hat-trick and played better than anyone else during the game. But, scouts have crossed him off the list of players who will leave for France.

However, everyone quickly forgot about the matter and came back to notice Coach Damata who had returned to center stage after the foreign scout had left.

"Let's congratulate the four players who left for France. They deserve a thumbs up for their outstanding performance at today's game." Coach Damata said with a smile. He seems to be in a good mood.

Most of the other players clapped half-heartedly. They still regret the lost opportunity. However, some have learned to accept rejection and failure. They look forward to the remaining days of the Lubumbashi trial. They still have a chance to impress scouts from African teams looking for new talent.

"OK everything. That's his spirit." Coach Damata laughs. "I usually tell my students that it's okay to fail. Many people are so afraid of failure that they skip trials like this. They ended up joining the camp of people who did not consider themselves capable of succeeding as professional footballers. " He stopped, letting his gaze explore all the young men gathered before him.

"You should realize that many people achieve their greatest success, right after their greatest failure. Not being selected is just a hindrance in your football career. Every failure in life is a stepping stone to a higher level. I am most proud of his blessing that God has bestowed upon me as a coach. He has given me the vision to see that you can still bounce back after a fall. That belief kept me going forward as a coach for years."

"Are you going to lose all hope of achieving your dream and join the flop after not being selected?" She asked. "Or, will you continue to pursue your dreams with renewed vigor after this momentary setback?"

Most young players respond positively to the coach's inspiring words. They all want to join a professional team and play football. Football is the only refuge in their war-torn country.

Some sad looking people seem to get a new lease on life after hearing the coach's speech. They all had flashes in their eyes that showed that they had not given up.

"Then I'm relieved." Coach Damata smiled. "You're laid off for today. Come back tomorrow to continue the trial."

"Remember, never give up."

**** ****

Zachary remained standing behind the group even as other players began to disband. His world collapsed when the French scout announced the result. The pain circulated in his mind like waves in the cold sand.

[Why was I not chosen? Was it because of my explosion during the first half?]

A few questions flashed through his mind as he tried to understand the scout's decision. He could feel the eyes of the players who went to him. Some of them had pitiful expressions, whereas others looked on with ridicule as if their situation was better. They seem to forget that they were not elected either.

"Young man," he heard someone calling him from the side with a classic French accent that didn't belong to Africa. He turned around to find the head scout smiling at him.

"You're Zachary. Right?" Mr. Christophe Benard asked.

"Yes, it's me, sir," Zachary replied. He had no idea why the scout had started a conversation with him after leaving him out of the selection.

Zachary felt like punching the French man in the face to relieve his mounting stress. However, he calmed down after considering the consequences. He did not want to be blacklisted by all the academy scouts who took part in the Lubumbashi trials.

"I'll help you, young man," the scout began in earnest. "With your injured leg, you will never manage to become one of the professional players. Just give up and find something else to do before you hurt yourself again. I hate to see a young man wallowing in despair after investing all his time where he's going to do it. it never works."

[Hurt feet? Surrender? Is this the reason I am not on the list?] Zachary started connecting the dots. His mood lifted. His biggest fear has been blacklisted by international scouts for his unsportsmanlike behavior in the first half. But the French team only left him out because of injury. He could not help but smile sadly.

"I've said everything that can be said. Careful." Mr. Benard stayed away and disappeared into the crowd of scouts who left the stadium.

[Did he come to tell me that? Really busy friends.] He scoffed.

"Zak!" Kasongo's voice called out to him. "What does he want? Were you chosen?"

"No. Just told me to give up on football." Zachary smiled, turning his head towards his new friend.

"Say what? Why?"

"He thinks I'm hurt."

"Are you?" Kasongo frowned.

"Absolutely not. I'm fit like a violin." Zachary smiles.

"Then ignore the idiot." Kasongo smiled, patting her on the shoulder. "We still have a chance tomorrow. I heard that the scouts of King Casablanca and the Orlando Pirates were also part of the delegation. So, don't worry. We'll be chosen."

"I know." Zakaria nodded. From the memories of his past life, he knew Lubumbashi's ordeal was far from over. A few more players would get the chance to join other foreign academies over the next few days. He just had to do his best to join their ranks.

"Are you really okay?" Kasongo asked after seeing her daydream.

"I'm fine." Zakaria breathed. He was still upset about being ignored. However, he understood that he had to keep going and prepare to continue the trial the next day.

"Big." Kasongo laughed, jumping around like a child. "I'm going to buy lunch" he said, patting Zachary on the back.

They started walking towards the stadium gate but were stopped by Coach Damata along the way.

"Thank God. I got to catch up with you." The coach smiled as he approached them. He seemed to be running towards them ever since he was panting.

"I have good news" he said without giving them a chance to answer. "Kasongo, go to Coach Mande. He'll explain a few things to you. Zachary, come with me. I want you to meet someone."

"I think one of the scouts must have liked you" Kasongo whispered before fleeing towards the pavilion.

"Oh." Zakaria was very excited. Hope bloomed within him. He turned around and followed the coach to the tunnel leading to the stadium's dressing room.

They passed through a dimly lit hallway and reached Coach Damata's office at the end of the corridor. The coach pushed the door open and let him in.

On one of the wooden benches inside, an old man and a blonde-haired young girl sat down, waiting quietly.

Zachary ignored the old man. He could not take his eyes off the girl holding the camera from the moment he entered the office.

He initially noticed the girl before the game when a scout delegation entered the stadium. He didn't pay much attention to her back then because she looked like one of the 'flat like pancakes' types'.

But up close, she looks like one of the models with an hourglass figure that is often seen in the soap opera Telemundo. Her straight blond hair was draped through her slender shoulders, making her look like a piece of a fashion magazine that fell into the streets of Lubumbashi.

"Hey, Zach? It's nice to meet you." He stood up and walked towards her, extending a well-groomed hand. His amber brown eyes stared at him playfully. They made his heart beat like an inexperienced teenager who had just met Gebetan for the first time.

Zachary must turn his eyes in defeat before his mind is overrun by inappropriate thoughts. His usual hubris, acquired in his past life, had escaped faster than a gambler from the city.

"Hey," Zachary stuttered as he fumbled to grab the girl's slender hand. He realized that he had taken too long to return his greetings. He looked at the floor to avoid his gaze.

The old man suddenly cleared his throat to end the awkward situation. "I'm Martin Stein. This is my granddaughter Kristin Stein. He's a scout in training. Nice to meet you." He also reached out toward Zachary to shake hands.

"It's nice to meet you too." Zachary took the opportunity to escape and returned the greetings.

After exchanging greetings with the couple, he turned to Coach Damata for an explanation. He begins to become tense under the supervision of strangers present at the office.

"This is a scout from Norwegian club Rosenborg BK," Coach Damata began. "They are interested in recruiting you to one of their affiliated academies. Are you interested?" She smiles.

"Of course, I'm interested." Zachary quickly replied. He will never miss the opportunity to join a high-performing academy in Europe. As long as he is there, he can find a way to enter the European football system. In addition, Rosenborg is one of the best teams in Norway and has the right youth training system. They have even entered the European championship, playing against top teams like Chelsea and Valencia. He remembered betting some of their matches during his previous life.

"Hahaha, that's great. I like a straightforward young man like you. And, it's good that you speak English perfectly, unlike most people in the Congo. You will be easily adapted to life in Norway." Mr. Stein laughed, taking off his sun hat. His deep frown seemed to carve a map of his life on his still nimble face. Her bright blue eyes, framed by thick white eyebrows, glittered in dim light along with her perfect row of teeth.

"Sir Damata," he turned towards the coach, still standing by the door. "I want to finish this business before the end of the day. Can you start the talent transfer procedure from Congo to Norway right away?"

"I can" replied Coach Damata with a smile. "But we need to get Zachary's parents involved to start the process."

[Parents?] Zachary's heart shook like a church drum on his chest.

"Oh, that's understandable." Mr. Stein frowned. "It looks like we're not going to conclude everything today. I even want to take him for a medical before we finish the transfer."

"We can still conclude if we managed to contact the parents within two hours" Coach Damata reassured before turning towards Zachary.

"Zach, can you call your parents immediately? We need them to sign a consent form allowing you to travel to Norway."

Zachary sighed before replying, "I have no parents. I've been living with my grandmother in Bukavu for as long as I can remember."

Three other people in the room remained silent after hearing Zachary's statement. They looked at him with pity as if he was a street child. Zachary doesn't like their stares.

"Oh," Coach Damata quickly recovered. "Can you call him? I mean your grandma." He asked, patting Zachary on the shoulder.

"We both don't have phones" Zachary said. "But, I could try calling our neighbor's doctor. Through him, we might be able to contact him late tomorrow." He sighed, beginning to regret not buying a pair of cheap cell phones for himself and his grandmother.

The others in the room were silent for a few seconds by his statement. Especially Kristin looked surprised by Zachary's state.

"Don't worry about that" Coach Damata said confidently. "I'll help you finish the paperwork before the end of tomorrow." He patted Zachary on the shoulder.