THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Pre-Game Training Session
Next day.
Zachary received a temporary residence permit from the police station and successfully opened a bank account. Strangely, Mr. Stein kept 14,000 Norwegian Kroner which was his monthly stipend soon after. He doesn't seem to mind the fact that Zachary has yet to sign a contract with either the Rosenborg team or the NF Academy. When Zachary asked him about the matter, he simply smiled before telling him to perform well during the game on Tuesday.
During the day, Zachary returned to Moholt and had a light lunch before starting his preparations for his first training session that day.
Since Rosenborg's senior team used the Lerkendal Stadium that afternoon, the coaches had arranged a U-19 training session that took place at the Death-Valley Fotballbanen. It was the football field belonging to NTNUI—the largest sports club in Norway.
Zachary reached the field at about 14:30. He won't have any trouble finding Death-Valley because of Mr. Stein had already taken her there earlier that day. Upon arriving there, he noticed that more than twenty players were already dressed and doing a light warm-up on the sidelines. They are an intimidating bunch. The majority are bule, standing nearly six feet tall, with the physique—looks more muscular or comparable to it.
There was only one African player in their middle with dark brown skin and mini-afro shaped hair. Zachary suspects that he may not have been too famous in his previous life because he could not identify him.
Running beside him was the only player Zachary recognized among all the boys on the field. He's a tall guy with black hair along his neck named Ole—something. Zachary remembers Ole playing for French side Saint-Tienne in a match against Lyon during his past life. The midfielder is hard to forget as he shares a name with one of Norway's greatest players.
Zachary did not bother the group of players and quickly put on his new football outfit. He had bought several sets of T-shirts and a new pair of Nike boots after receiving his allowance that day.
Soon, Zachary, fully clothed in light green clothes, began to warm up alone on the sidelines. He started by marching on the spot before running from one corner flag to the other— flag along the goal line. He made sure to include a few forward and backward sprints in his routine as he pumped his arms up and down in rhythm with his pace.
Salty droplets flowed down his face like a gentle tropical rain, dripping onto the synthetic grass in the field. But Zachary did not stop his routine until he felt his muscles were active and ready for intensive soccer practice. During a brief career of her previous life, she had understood the importance of warming up before doing intensive exercises. This will help increase its flexibility while reducing muscle pain and reducing the risk of injury.
Zachary ended his warm-up with some light stretches before returning his attention to the other players. He wanted to spy on some of their talents using the system. He strongly believes in the principle of 'know your competitors as you know yourself'.
Zachary picks up one of the wild balls from the sidelines before clicking on the lookout tool. He has to come in contact with the ball for the tool to work.
"DING"
Zachary focuses on the interface as soon as familiar system notifications are heard.
Cross-hair similar to the android sniper game has appeared on the screen. Some words are above and below them.
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*INJECTING TOOL ENABLED
->Focus virtual scope on subjects to assess their talents.
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Permissible use for one month: 6/6.
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****
Zachary focused a virtual shot on Ole— the only midfielder he knew on the pitch.
"DING"
****
TOPIC: Ole Selnes
AGE: 16 years
TALENT ASSESSMENT: CLASS-A
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*USER STATUS
->Physical Fitness: A +
-> Soccer Techniques: A +
-> Intelligence Game: B +
->Mental Capabilities and Mindset: A-
-> Factor-X: C +
****
Zachary was at a loss for words after glancing at the translucent virtual screen. He wondered if all the players in the team were A-grade talents. The boy Ole was only slightly older than him but with much better stats. The only statistic that Zachary beat was Game-Intelligence which he fortunately improved due to the acquisition of Zinedine-Visual-Juju.
What surprised Zachary the most was the boy who had a C+ score for the X-Factor stat. Up to this point, he did not understand what those attributes represented. In the user-statistics interface there are glittering words—No Info Available. The system has left it with no clue as to how to upgrade its X-Factor.
Zachary was about to resume his spies but realized that the coaches had arrived. They had just blown the whistle calling everyone into the middle circle.
"Is Zachary Bemba here?" One of the two coaches shouted after making a brief speech to the players sitting in the centre circle.
"Here." Zachary, sitting behind the group, raised his hand as he replied. He noticed that the middle-aged bald trainer who called his name was a bit too tall for his body—as if he stopped growing only to be stretched on one of those medieval shelves half a foot tall. His face was mostly covered by a thin red beard that stuck to his skin like broken ivy tendrils.
"So, you're Zachary," the coach said, beginning to observe him with the unwavering attention of predators. There was violence in his eyes, a kind of coldness mated with seriousness. It was an unreasonable coach performance. At the time, Zachary knew that he was in a difficult period if he did not manage to impress.
And the next few words from the coach proved his conjecture.
"Welcome to the team" he said after observing it for a few seconds. "But keep in mind that you are still on probation. I hope Stein's parents tell you about this!" He looked at Zachary with curiosity.
"Yes, right," Zachary replied, choosing to ignore the confused expressions of the players before him. Zachary thought they were unaware of his addition to the team.
Mr Stein has warned him not to antagonise the coach while touching on some of the requirements he must meet before sealing his move to Norway.
"If your performances are subpar during these two training sessions, I wouldn't bother to include you in the line-up for Tuesday's game. Are we together?"
"Yes, coach," Zachary replied, unaffected by the coach's words.
During his past life, he began to understand that coaches really like one thing. The danger of this job makes coaches tend to like players who perform well and are eager to win. Zachary needs to show the coach that he is a great player starting from his first training with the Rosenborg U-19 team.
And he did just that during the next two pre-match training sessions.
On Friday, the training session was focused on seeing the physical condition of the players who will follow the match. All players undergo fitness exercises that test their flexibility, agility, and stamina.
Zachary eagerly completed all the necessary exercises, as instructed by Coach Boyd Johansen.
When it came time to run the cone drills of speed and agility, he did double the amount needed. Zachary understood the importance of physical training and decided to outdo himself with his young body.
He had heard that Cristiano Ronaldo managed to rise to the top by performing inhumane fitness conditioning from a young age. Zachary had no way of verifying the rumors. However, he wants to emulate such hard work to keep himself fit throughout his career—and most importantly, improve his agility.
He secretly completed the training that day without wasting any time for unnecessary chats with the others. He doesn't have the luxury of it because he hasn't joined the team yet. All he could think about was how to impress the coaches. Zachary will have all the time to bond with other players after performing well during the game on Tuesday.
Monday's training session focused on training the match formation into the players' style of play. The coaches host several 6-on-4 team drills that focus on passing and team play.
Zachary did tackles like a football maniac, intercepted balls like the future of N'Golo Kante, and constantly made some crazy moves outside the ball as he participated. It was as if he had endless stamina with a nitro machine strapped to his butt.
By the time the practice is over, most of his new teammates treat him with respect as a hardworking player who never gets tired. Training had revealed to them that Zachary was the type of player that anyone hated as an opponent. He's good at all the dirty work like tackles needed for the team.
However, there are some U-19 players who are unsure or, more likely, too jealous to respect the new fifteen-year-old from Africa.
Some even insulted her, ensuring that she heard their verbal abuse. They dubbed him Mindless-Shrek, either because of his extreme enthusiasm for training or his clothing. In two pre-match practice sessions, her standard outfit was all-green, from jerseys to boots.
Zachary doesn't care about some simple-minded teens.
He had already learned his lesson during the Lubumbashi trials and would not fight. He was in Europe to play football and make a lot of money. He would not let his anger get in the way of that.
He turned a blind eye to some of the boys and finished his cooling routine while waiting for the line-up of the coaches.
And he doesn't have to wait long.
A few minutes later, Coach Johansen blew the whistle and gestured everyone into the center circle.
"Thank you for attending the training today," he started after all the players sat on the delicate grass of the Valley of Death.
"I've said everything that came before during training and won't waste your time with long speeches." He grinned, letting his gaze roam across players who were already impatiently waiting for the line-up. He seemed to enjoy the tension hanging in the night air.
The players, including Zachary, did not make a disgruntled voice to pressure the coach into rushing to deliver his speech. They were quietly waiting for him to advance at his own pace. No player will make such a mistake on the eve of a big game.
"Sir. It's almost seven." Johansen's assistant coach, Bjorn Peters, reminded him.
"Oh," he said, opening his notebook.
"The provisional strength for tomorrow's match against U-19 Viking FK is as follows..."
"Wicketkeeper; Even Barli, Grant Anderson."
"Defense; Simen Wangberg, Emil Rokke, Christoffer Aasbak, Espen Schmitz, and Ulrik Balstad."
"Consider; Markus Henriksen, Fredrik Midtsj, Ole Selnaes, and Zachary Bemba."
"To the front; Mushaga Bakenga, Jonas Svensson, and Gjermund Asen."
"For the selected, make sure it is in Lerkendal tomorrow at 15:00. We'll meet the team before the game."
"Those not in the line-up can try harder for the next game. Terminated." Coach concluded.