THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Fight Annoyingly

Zachary felt a bit of guilt flowing in him as he watched medics help Magnus Wolff Eikrem, one of Molde's defensive midfielders, off the pitch. He didn't mean for anyone to get hurt when he fired a shot at goal. He was just trying to score when he caught defensive midfielder Molde in the middle.

Although Magnus is an opponent, inevitably he feels a little conflicted because he knows firsthand what injury means to a professional footballer. It was thanks to the experience he accumulated as an injury-prone player during his previous life.

After all, he also understands that football is the kind of game that comes with the risk of injuries that are usually unavoidable. When he gives his all to win, whether shooting, tackling, or even faking a foul, he will hurt another player at one point. The case is no different. So, he forced himself to throw those negative thoughts into his mind—and focus on Jonas Svensson, the defensive midfielder Rosenborg, who would take a corner kick.

Together with his other teammates, he had gone through several repetitions of various corner drills during the previous week. They even trained hand gestures for each type of corner kick in preparation for the Molde match. So, when Zachary saw Jonas Svensson raise his hand as a signal before the corner, he instantly realized what kind of corner kick was coming in.

Without lingering, he instantly pretended to the left before heading to the right— and then barged through the crowd of players inside the box to greet the corner football. He managed to lose Jo Inge Berget, the player who escorted him that day, before jumping to welcome the incoming corner ball near the far post.

But as he directed his body to make a header into the goal, he felt a tug on his shirt, and the upward momentum instantly diminished. He tried to ignore the player who was holding his shirt by flicking his hand, but all of his efforts were fruitless. The person holding his shirt did not budge in the slightest and continued dragging him back to the ground.

So, he watched helplessly as the ball flashed nearby, losing his head by only a few centimeters. He could only tremble in anger, sighing at the missed opportunity, as his body descended and landed back on the green field. If not for that pull, he would have, without a doubt, connected with a corner kick and attempted the goal.

With eyes blazing with rage, he locked his glare at Jo Inge Berget, the Molde midfielder who had just pulled his jersey to prevent him from connecting with the ball. To his astonishment, the player had a gull to smile or grin at him instead of saying an apology. It seemed like he was deliberately trying to provoke Zachary by bragging about the offense. Worse, the referee was unaware of the foul and simply blew the whistle, gesturing for the Molde keeper to take a goal kick.

But as Zachary has played a good game since the start of the game, he is still in a cheerful mood and does not let the Molde midfielder's antics spark his anger. So, he sighed, shaking his head slightly before pushing Jo Inge aside and moving towards the referee.

"Ref," he recited as soon as he intercepted the referee near the center circle. "There was a pull on my shirt by Jo Inge when I jumped to head the ball. That's why I missed the ball. Surely, it should be a violation."

Referee smiled. "I watched," he said, without stopping his movement across the field. "So, don't worry and focus on the game. Just leave the referee to me, young man."

Zachary let out a sigh of resignation as he stopped in the middle of the circle and turned around to prepare for Molde's goal kick. At that time, he was hoping that FIFA would soon introduce video assistant referees (VARs). Had VAR been present, he was one hundred per cent confident he would have won a penalty after a field check. Even Jo Inge, the player who pulled his shirt, will not receive a yellow or red card after the review.

But as much as he expected for the quick introduction of VAR, he knew very well that they would only appear in 2017 — according to the memory of his previous life. That was unless he did nothing to speed up their initial process. He forced those thoughts into the back of his mind before returning his entire focus to the match.

Mike Jensen, one of Rosenborg's defensive midfielders, was ready to welcome the ball. He tracked her down just as she started to get off. He did so first and outscored Daniel Chima Chukwu, Molde's centre-forward, to head him back into the centre of the field.

In an instant, Zachary predicted that the ball would land nearby, perhaps a meter away, with his A-level spatial awareness.

Like the wind, he took a step to the side and put himself on his path in just a few seconds before the other players could react.

While keeping his eyes locked on the ball, he then pushed off the ground, intending to jump high and control it with his chest. But as he started to get up, he felt another pull on his shirt.

The person who pulled his shirt was so tireless and shameless that he managed to cut his jump, making him lose the ball by only a few inches. What's more, the same player, Jo Inge Berget, who just broke it a second time. However, the referee also did not blow his whistle back then.

Zachary tried his best to contain his frustration as he raised his hand in silent complaint.

But the referee just ignored him and waved to continue the game, without even trying to listen to his complaints. Zachary could feel an intense wave of anger pulsing in his veins and threatening to burst out from his entire body.

But he is well aware that the game has just started—and even better, his team is still leading. So, he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down before chasing the ball, which was already re-owned by one of Molde's defenders. He could not let his anger blind him to the point of getting him a yellow card, or even a red card, due to an altercation.

"You're stronger than I expected" said Jo Inge Berget, grinning after he equalised his pace as they ran across the field towards the ball. "But pay attention to my words: since I'm staying with you throughout the duration of the game, you won't get another chance to do something amazing in this game. I'm sure about that."

"Oh," said Zachary, his gaze was never off the ball. "Then let's wait and see. May you not regret your words." He added before increasing his pace and leaving the midfielder behind. He had already decided to fight his opponent using the ball, not with insults or verbal blows. So, he remained deaf to Jo Inge's provocation.

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