THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
New Training Plan

"Zachary," said Mr. Stein. "You should come and visit me a few times. It's been a long time since we last talked."

 Zakaria breathed. "My exercise schedule keeps me from doing anything else. I was afraid that if I got out of the routine, I would lose focus and interfere with my progress. That's why I didn't even come home last summer."

They were both standing outside Coach Johansen's office. They had just finished attending that short meeting.

"I totally understand. The coaches just say good things about you. But, remember not to overload your body." Scouts warned. "By the way, have you thought about getting an agent?" He asked indifferently.

"Not yet." Zakaria shook her head. "There's no need for me to get an agent when I haven't started my pro career. I'll think about it next year."

"It's okay." Mr. Stein smiled. "But remember to consult me when you decide to get one. Do not be fooled by fake agents when you go abroad to play in tournaments. The situation in other European countries is not the same as here in Norway."

"I'll remember it." Zakaria nodded.

"I'll go now. I don't want to keep you out of your training. Staying focused. The sky is your limit." Mr. Stein said before walking away.

Zakaria breathed. Inevitably he noticed that Mr. Stein looked much older than before. The wrinkles on his face became clearer. He even used a cane to prop himself up.

[I hope he's okay.] Zachary prayed in his heart. He turned around and returned to Coach Johansen's office.

"Have you returned?" Coach Johansen said, looking up from his notebook.

"Yes, Coach," replied Zachary, sitting on one of the couches. The others have all gone. Coach Johansen is the only one still in the room.

"You want to see me?" Zachary asked.

"Yes" replied the coach, half smiling. "I've watched your style of play evolve over the few games you've played under me. I'm sure that we can turn you into a very agile player capable of beating any defender in a professional league. I'm thinking of a good training plan that can further increase your speed."

Zachary immediately received his full attention. He had been looking for a more effective way to increase his speed.

"Do you want to add a speed workout routine to your schedule?" Coach Johansen asked.

"Of course." Zakaria nodded.

"Then take this," said the coach, ripping a few pages from his notebook. "Do speed training three times a week. You will start to see results in two to three months." He handed the letters to Zachary.

"DING"

Not long after Zachary received those pages—system notifications sounded in his mind. A translucent interface appears before him, suggesting he has a new system mission awaiting completion. It seems that the trainer can begin the mission of the system as long as they assign tasks to him. His mood lifted as soon as he realized that he had another way to earn Juju points.

"If there's nothing else, you can go back to training."

"Coach," said Zachary as he wanted the system interface to be closed with his mind. He could not begin to peruse in front of his coach. "I have a few questions on my mind."

"Do you know anything about the X factor in football?"

"Oh." Coach is half smiling. "Factor X. Why are you researching that?" He looked at Zachary with a frown.

"I just want to know."

"Well, there's no harm in telling you," Coach Johansen said. “The answer is simple. The X factor is simply the ability to win games for the team. On my part, I consider things like creativity, consistency, and sometimes even a player's luck as the X factors a team needs. "

Zakaria frowned. "Does that mean the most skilled player will always have the highest X factor?" He asked to eliminate his confusion. He was very consistent in all his matches. However, the system still shows no data available for the X-factor stat.

"That's what usually happens" replied Coach Johansen. "But not always. Some players are not very good at the ball but often win games for their team. They always find themselves in a strategic position, either intentionally or unintentionally, and end up scoring the winner of the match. They get such simple moments.individual brilliance—and—pa—they have won your game." He clapped his hands to emphasize his point.

"Let me give you an example" continued the coach. "Do you remember the Manchester United squad with Ryan Giggs and Ruud van Nistelrooy?"

Zakaria nodded.

"Giggs is very skilled with the ball and a good finisher. His style of play gets a lot of people excited. However, he doesn't score often enough to influence a few seasons. However, Nistelrooy only got a few passes in the box and put the ball into the box. He was the top scorer for several seasons at Old Trafford. I'm sure he has a higher X factor in the team compared to Giggs, who is a more skilled ball handler."

The coach smiled gently at Zachary. "To have a high X factor, you have to perform, score goals, and win games. Not just once. You have to stay consistent in a lot of games." He spoke with a convincing tone.

Zachary's confusion is becoming more and more. He also knows a lot about the X-factor from the online literature. He has had a significant impact on the outcome of all his games since travelling back in time. He was still confused that the system was assessing his X factor stat in Grade F. He wondered if it was due to the lack of sufficient data from the right amount of games.

"You have to get back to your training now" Coach Johansen said, his tone returning to his standard gloom.

"Coach, wait," Zachary recited in an imploring tone. "How can I increase the power behind my free-kick? You said something about helping me thrive in the morning."

Coach Johansen raised his reddish-brown eyebrows. "The key to increasing power lies in the swing speed behind your firing leg."

"Remember, the speed of the kick comes from the rotation of the hip and not from the leg. I'd advise you to start by making sure your hip rotation muscles are strong and flexible." He explains.

"I've included some exercises in your speed workouts that will help increase the back-swing speed of your kicks. Just remember, your foot acts as a bow every time you make a shot. You will be able to release powerful and fast blows.the arrow only if you have a very strong bowstring but elastic—which can be directly retracted. On the other hand, if you have a rigid bowstring, your shot will not mean much. Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach." Zachary nodded, finally understanding how to improve his shooting ability. He will create more spins and increase the speed of the ball by increasing the speed of his kicks.

Zachary doesn't need to make significant modifications to Bend-it like Beckham Juju at all. All he needed was more flexibility and strength in his hips.

"Okay, back to your practice."

"Thank you very much for your guidance, coach," Zachary replied politely. Coach Johansen's direction came at the right time. He would spend months figuring out which aspects of the technique he needed to improve.

He was eager to try new techniques in the system simulator. Then, he will be ready to try it out in the real world.