THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Contract

Zachary follows Coach Bjorn through a narrow corridor, up the stairs, to Coach Johansen's office on the second floor.

"Please sit down" Coach Johansen said. He pointed to one of the elegant sofas across from his desk.

"Thank you" Zachary replied as he sat down on the sofa. Coach Bjorn sat on a padded bench next to Coach Johansen's table, maintaining his silence.

Zachary let his eyes look around him. The office, painted in light gray, has one large floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the training ground. At one corner, the AC exploded at a low setting. It carried air from outside, giving off a fresh breeze. To his left stood a wooden cabinet with a glass door. Through the glass, Zachary could see several trophies lined up on his shelves.

"So, how do you find life here in Norway," asked Coach Johansen, half-smiling. He put his hand on the gray table. Beside him sat a desktop computer, an open notebook, and a stack of paper held in place by a ball-shaped paperweight. At the end of the uncluttered table stood a framed photo of a red-haired teenage girl, possibly the coach's daughter.

"I'm fine" Zachary replied politely. "The "training facilities here are pretty amazing. However, I haven't taken part in enough matches to practice my skills." He added, the voice took a dubious tone.

Zachary needs more official matches to get a match— experienceand, of course, Juju points system. He realizes that he can earn 30 points or more from the system missions in each game, depending on his appearance.

He wanted to take part in more games to collect points and buy high-grade potions to improve his physical fitness.

Coach Johansen folded his hands in front of his chest, maintaining half his smile. "That's one of the reasons I called you here. I can promise that in a few months, you will get a lot of game time. You will get the chance to play against other academies from all over Europe."

"You mean the Riga Cup?"

"Yes." Yeah." Coach Johansen nodded. "This time, I have reached an agreement with Rosenborg officials. You can join squads towards Riga and SIA trophies. But on one condition."

Zachary met the coach's gaze and spoke slowly. "And that was?"

At that moment, the door opened behind him. Heavy footsteps moved into the room. "You started without me?" Mumbled a deep voice, with a tone filled with a tone of disapproval.

"Sorry, Mr. Malvik." Coach Johansen stood up and reached out to the new stranger. "But you're late. But don't worry. We're just answering a few questions Zachary's asking while waiting for your arrival."

Zakaria. Should anyone else be present during the meeting? He turned to his side and observed a new arrival. He was a middle-aged blonde man in an elegant suit with a standard Norwegian face, square shoulders everywhere, and a square chin. He seems like a stereotypical office type and seems to have mastered the look of confidence as a money-making skill.

The stranger grabbed Coach Johansen's hand and smiled. "I'm sorry, coach. I came in a hurry off the field. How was your morning, by the way?" He asked, sitting on the sofa beside Zachary.

"Well," replied Coach Johansen, sitting back down. "I guess you remember my assistant, Coach Bjorn?" He tilted his head to one side, observing the man.

"Yes, yes," said the stranger, turning towards the other coach in the room. "Good morning to you?"

"Good morning." Coach Bjorn nodded at the stranger with a smile.

The two coaches behaved in a way that reminded Zachary of the locals at home greeting a delegation visiting their village. They are very polite and formal, which is out of character. Zachary concludes that the stranger must be someone in an important position.

"And this young man is Zachary Bemba." Coach Johansen introduced him last. "He's the player we're talking about."

"It's nice to meet you, young man," said the stranger, turning around and extending his hand to Zachary. "I'm Daniel Malvik, one of Rosenborg's legal counsel. I've heard a lot about you." He smiled kindly.

Zacharias shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you too." He turned towards Coach Johansen, his eyebrows raised full of question marks.

"No need to worry," replied Coach Johansen, waving his hand. "We are here to talk about some possibilities for your future. Let's wait for Mr. Stein before we continue our conversation."

Zachary was surprised that even Mr. Stein. He initially thought he would only talk briefly to Coach Johansen before returning to his training. However, the importance of the meeting had exceeded his expectations.

They don't have to wait long. Mr. Stein is arriving— soon and the meeting begins.

He turned towards Zacharias. "Young man, I represent the club. I'm just here to seek commitment from you and your representatives."

"What kind of commitment?" Zachary asked, stealing glances at Coach Johansen. He wondered if that commitment was a condition he would have to fulfil before joining the academy teams heading to Riga and Valencia.

Mr. Malvik smiled. "To put it simply, we need to get you under contract," he said, removing some papers from his briefcase.

"I will speak frankly" he continued. "You are an asset the club has developed. That is, of course, as a talented football player. Right?"

Zakaria nodded. He can understand the logic of a lawyer. Rosenborg pumped money to maintain his stay at Trondheim and turned him into a professional footballer.

"However, you are not bound by any contract. When you are 18 years old, any other club can come and snatch you without paying a transfer fee. We don't want to see that happen. That's why we offered you a contract at an earlier date."

"What about FIFA rules?" Zachary is not opposed to signing Rosenborg. He wants to play for a club that has taken him to Europe for a year or two. But, he had no intention of taking part in breaking FIFA rules.

Mr. Malvik smiled, nodding at the other people in the office. "I'm glad your attitude isn't too opposed to signing for the club" he said. "You don't have to worry about FIFA rules. We need you to sign something uncomplicated—to make sure that you are with us after leaving the academy next year. To ensure that FIFA does not follow suit, you must sign the NDA, of course." He explains.

"Give me a contract and give me time to decide" Zachary said. He did not want to spend the whole day listening to the terms of the contract.

"Okay, here it is." Mr. Malvik handed me two sets of papers.

Zachary quickly began to read. One set was a four-page contract that tied Zachary to playing for Rosenborg BK just after his eighteenth birthday. He would have to stay at the club for three years before moving to greener pastures— that is, if he signed that document. The second is the Non-Disclosure Agreement. It made Zachary commit not to divulge the terms of the contract to anyone else — apart from the people present in the room.

"I'll only sign if you reduce the duration I have to play for Rosenborg to two years" Zachary said, locking in a view with lawyers.

"Done." The lawyer smiled, picking up another set of papers from his open briefcase. He then handed it to Zachary.

Zachary was confused as he received the letters. He wondered why the lawyer had so quickly agreed to his offer.

[Have I missed anything in the contract?]

He read the new contract, word for word. Others left it on their own devices and began to speak among themselves in Norwegian.

Zachary didn't mind because he was tired of being the center of attention in the room. He continued reading and quickly discovered that there was no monetary remuneration from the Rosenborg team until he was 18. Under the terms, Zachary will only accept the contract again at the end of the following year. That was before he joined the first team roster.

After reading, he weighed the pros and cons of the contract. If he does not sign, Rosenborg officials will remain vigilant against him. They will not allow him to enter international youth competitions such as the Riga Cup. Zachary would then find it difficult to accumulate Juju points, thus slowing his progress.

However, if he were to sign, he would only need to stay at Rosenborg for two years. After that, he will be free to go wherever he wants and play all over Europe. But who knows? Perhaps, he will perform well and attract the attention of big clubs before that. Zachary would not believe that Rosenborg would reject a transfer deal of more than 15 Million US Dollars. Their transfer record was less than 3 Million US Dollars at the time.

"I will sign" he announced after the talks.

The rest of the three men turned their heads towards him, their eyebrows raised with shocked expressions. It seemed like they did not think he would agree right away.

"Are you done considering?" Mr. Malvik asked.

"Yes." Yeah." Zakaria nodded.

"All right then." The lawyer smiled.