THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Traveling Fans

Zachary and his team-mates left the dressing room after Coach Johansen's speech. They passed VfB Stuttgart and Skonto Academy players in the hallway as they exited the field. Both teams were—scheduled to play in the next match.

The NF Academy squad joined a small crowd of home fans leaving the stadium. Some people stick their necks out to look at Zachary. The others shouted in a language he did not understand. But, he knew they were trying to talk to him. It seems that he has gained fame among the JFC Riga fans.

Zachary maintained a polite smile and continued to move with the crowd. Everyone in the fan army moved forward as if being dragged by an invisible hand.

Before long, Zachary and his teammates exited the indoor stadium.

At the gate, she is shocked to meet Marta Romano and her twin sister, Melissa. They stand among a group of classmates from Trndelag International School. Most are Italians or Spanish who are part of an international program at her school.

"You guys are here!" Paul Otterson was the first to run forward to greet the entourage. "Aren't you supposed to attend class?" The Swede asked, looking at the group of ten from Trondheim.

"We won't miss this tournament for anything" Melissa replied, smiling. Like her sister, she— wears a stylish knee-length coat that covers most of her beautiful figure. "We arrived yesterday morning to give you support here in the cup. As international students, we seek for ourselves." She added.

Paul grinned, hooking an arm around Melissa's shoulder. "That's great. The tournament will be more fun with all of you. Did you watch the game?" The Swede asked, his eyes glancing from person to person in the group.

"We watched. You guys are great." Melissa stopped, turning her gaze towards Zachary. "I never knew you could play like that. You are really good at hiding your skills. Why don't you play for Rosenborg's team?" He asked, furrowing his brows.

Zachary's left shoulder lifted with a relaxed shoulder. He looked around and noticed that his other classmates were staring at him in awe. They were also impressed by his appearance.

"Hello, everyone," he greeted them, trying his best to change the subject. He doesn't like to be the center of attention whenever he's off the field. "It's nice to meet you. It's always nice to have the support of the hosts every time we play."

His classmates returned greetings, nodding in the process. Marta Romano winked at him as they shook hands. He uttered the word 'later' and began to look around him, ignoring the chatter between Ottersons, Kasongo, and his other classmates. He walked to the side and started observing his other teammates.

Most NF academy players greet their parents or siblings who have traveled to support them in Riga. They hugged each other and chatted sweet—or any topic that made them laugh and grin broadly, as Zachary watched. Even the always moody Coach Johansen was busy talking to his wife and daughter, as if he had forgotten the Genoa match that was about to begin. Everyone was happy that their families had traveled a long way to comfort them.

At such times, Zachary wishes he knew his parents. He never got a chance to see them in both of his lives.

Zachary felt like a teenager, thinking about the matter, but there was not much he could do to drive away that yearning. She decided to talk seriously with her grandmother about her parents when she returned to Congo after becoming a professional.

Marta Romano quietly left her other group of friends and stood by her side. "A penny to your mind" he said.

"Just think about the life of—and the next game," he replied with a smile, forcing himself to focus on the Italian. "I'm surprised you came here with your sister. I've never considered you a football fan, like your brother." He added, switching topics.

Zachary had the impression that he was not interested in football. Unlike his sister, he never bothered to watch Rosenborg matches in Lerkendal, even when free match tickets were available.

Marta smiled gently. "I didn't come here for football, but to watch you play. Looks like you've been avoiding me ever since we got back from Christmas. What's up with that?" His Italian accent colored his words.

Zakaria breathed. "I'm busy preparing for the tournament. We don't have time for class or anything." He stopped, throwing a casual look around him. "And now, I have to go back to the hotel and take a shower, then watch the match between our next two opponents."

Zachary leaned his head to look at the Italian man better. Marta is a beautiful girl with black hair woven into a long braid, draped over her shoulder. He had a long nose that perfectly matched his pitch-black and intelligent eyes.

"But we can meet and talk on Friday" Zachary said. "It was a free day after our last group game. Is it okay with you?"

"It's a date then." Marta smiles. "Should I expect a tour around town or something?"

"Maybe" Zachary replied. "But I have to go now. Or my coach won't be happy."

He had noticed that the bus had already arrived at the gate. Coach Johansen has finished saying goodbye to his family. He stood beside the bus, waiting for the players to end their interaction. Coach Bjorn was driving around, telling everyone to get on the bus as soon as possible.

Zachary, his teammates, and the coaches boarded the bus to the Monika Centrum Hotel. They quickly cleaned and changed new sports clothes in their rooms. Twenty minutes later, they were already at the Olympic Sports Center. They sat in the stands, among some fans, watching the match between Genoa and BK Frem.

The match took place unilaterally, with the Genoa Youth team dictating the game. They attacked the Danish team from the first minute, with their winger and midfielder making several attempts, on goal, in the first few minutes. Their chemistry is perfect. It seems they have been playing together for a long time.

They— form in a 4-3-3 formation without showing any glaring flaws in their style of play. Genoa's signature defence of two centre-backs and two full-backs stopped BK Frem's men from firing on goal.

The Italian team plays with three central midfielders who sometimes form triangles and play with a quick touch, transitioning from defensive to attacking. They conquered and dominated midfield and closed out most of BK Frem's chances.

Genoa's attacking power consists of three strikers, one centre and two who play on the wing. The two strikers on the side are all-rounders with good speed and shooting ability, often using their speed on the flanks to cut towards goal. The centre striker is a strong target man — and sometimes drops deep into the box to drag defenders away and make room for the wingers to score.

In the 13th minute, Genoa number 11 managed to dribble from the wings and score the first goal. In the 20th minute, the centre-forward used a cross inside the six-yard box and scored the second goal. Six minutes later, the third attacker scored again.

Zachary watched— attentively as Genoa scored goal after goal throughout the one-sided match. Genoa's tall centre-forward quickly made a hat-trick while the other attackers on the wing got two goals apiece. In the 80th minute, Genoa were seven goals ahead of BK Frem's team. The Danish team have not scored a single goal.

"Genoa will be a tough opponent" Kendrick, who sits to the right of Zachary, commented. "We have to find a way to freeze their two wings to win. Otherwise, we will suffer the same fate as BK Frem." He added, shaking his head.

"We have to win the game against BK Frem to qualify for the knockout stage" Zachary said. "I don't want to risk playing Genoa without six points in the bag." The Genoa team is good with a balanced squad that has almost no weaknesses.

"I'm not worried about BK Frem" Kendrick said with a smile. "Look at them. They haven't had a shot on target since the game started. Do you think we can lose against a team like that?"

Zachary furrowed his brows, turning his head to the side to look at his friend. "Kendrick," he said, his tone grim. “Did you forget what just happened to us in the second half? You can never be sure of winning the game until you dominate the other side. Otherwise, the betting company would have gone bankrupt centuries ago. Do you remember the match between Senegal and France at the 2002 World Cup? Or Greece versus Portugal in the Euro?" He asked, locking a gaze with his flatmate.

Kendrick was about to reply, but their conversation was interrupted by a sweet feminine voice coming from Zachary's left side. "Hello, Zachary. May I ask for your signature?"

Zechariah surprised. He only played one game in Riga. It was shocking that someone had already asked for his signature. He's not Messi or anyone famous— yet. He looked to the side and saw the gentle face of a beautiful young lady. His blue eyes, like the sea, were calm and emotionless. She has long, wavy dark brown hair—so smooth and soft, almost like it was made of fabric.

"Who are you?" Zachary managed to reply after a few seconds. However, his voice came out an octave higher than intended.

The woman smiled, her eyes gaining and radiating a hint of warmth. "I'm Emily Anderson. And, I guess I'm a big fan of yours." He speaks with a classic English accent—like a BBC news anchor. "Will you give me that signature and maybe have a cup of coffee with me?"

Zachary remained silent, frowning. He could feel Kendrick pinching his right side when he delayed giving an answer to the woman. "Sister," he whispered. "Wait for what else? He won't kidnap you in broad daylight. You are much stronger than him—by God. Just say yes. I'll tell Coach that you just got back to the hotel to rest."

"I promise I'm not a fraud" cut the woman down. "And, I have a lot of info about each of the teams participating in the Riga Cup. We can talk about football over coffee. No need to be confused." She added, smiling gently.

"That's how it is" Kendrick interrupted. "A cup of coffee is good for relaxation after a busy game like the one we just played today morning."

Zachary first looked back at the field before replying. The Genoese team just scored their eighth goal of the match. They led the group due to a remarkable goal difference of eight goals. There is nothing left to see in the game.

Zachary looked back at the woman. She could see that she was not like a fangirl, following a star to get an autograph. He looks more like the office type, is calculating, and is good at dealing with people.

He decided to go with her and hear what she was saying. He had a feeling he would regret refusing the meeting.

"OK," he told the woman. "Let's have coffee."

He first told Kendrick to protect him before leading his way out of the indoor stadium.