THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Meeting With an Agent

Zachary sipped his coffee. A fleeting expression of satisfaction was seen on his face—and soon, he smiled widely. He glanced at the thick ceramic mug, slightly warm to the touch. It has preserved the heat, making the drink perfect in cold weather.

"So, can you tell me why you want to talk to me?" Zachary asked, locking eyes with Emily Anderson. They sit in a cozy coffee shop, about one and a half kilometers from the Olimpic Sports Center. The rich dark chocolate cafe table and the dark aroma of the coffee served create a relaxed atmosphere.

Emily Anderson smiled softly. "Don't I just say that I'm your biggest fan" she said, sullenly. He seeped into his coffee before adding: "Honestly, I need your signature. Let me get you a sharpie."

Zachary furrowed his brows as he searched around in his bag for a few seconds before giving him a permanent marker. "Will you give me an autograph?" She pouted, looking at him pleading with her deep and intelligent eyes.

"Is this one of the jokes I've always seen on reality television shows?" He asked but took the marker from his outstretched hand. "Where should I sign?" He looked at her skeptically, noticing signs of whether she was playing tricks on him.

But the woman's next actions startled her. He took off his white cashmere scarf and handed it to her. "Make her signature as big as possible" she said with a smile, her expression accentuating her beauty. "I want to hang it on one of my walls when I get back home."

Zakaria nodded. He has nothing to lose by signing a scarf. Moreover, Zachary does not use his official signature for signature. He simply wrote down his two names on it and handed it back to him.

"Thank you" said Emily, admiring the oversized letters on the scarf. He looks like a famous art critic who admires the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. The emotions in his eyes were deep but they brought warmth and life from the sunlit surface.

Zachary looked at the woman, with his eyes wide open and his mouth slightly open, as he carefully folded the scarf, like a work of art, and put it in his handbag. His actions grew even more strange in the next second. He only saw him play in one game— against Riga. His appearance was not enough to convince him that he would become a star in the future. However, it was there that she— asked for her autograph and acted like an infatuated fan girl.

"Don't look at me like that" Emily recited as if she could see straight into her mind. "I'm sure this fabric will be quite expensive a few years from now." He added, his voice calm and confident.

Zakaria smile. He admitted to himself that giving his signature had delighted him to some extent.

He shook his head, shifting his focus away from the woman. For a while, he simply wrapped his hands around the ceramic coffee cup in front of him, letting the warmth flow into his fingers, driving away the cold of winter. He then took a few bites out of Crumble Cake and soaked into the coffee. The combination was good, especially after all the energy he put out during the match with Riga.

"So, Zachary," the woman began. "Do you have an agent?"

"Not for now" Zachary replied honestly.

Emily gave him a smile. "I work for CAA Base Limited—a leading agency for professional footballers dedicated to shaping their ongoing development and career management. At the agency, we work in teams to support our clients on and off the field." He stopped, locking his gaze with Zachary. "I'm here to recruit you as a client." His voice is formal.

"Oh," Zachary said as he nodded. He guessed that much. "Where is your agency based?" She asked.

The woman was straightforward with him. He decided to do the same because he knew very little about the sports agencies in the world. He needs more information about the organization that wants to represent him.

A faint smile fell on his lips. "Our headquarters are in London, but we represent players from different parts of the world. We are one of the leading sports agents in Europe. You can easily check our company profile on the internet. We represent famous players like Ashley Young and Aaron Lennon, among others."

Zachary nodded, leaning back in his chair to look the agent in the eye. "By the way, I can say that you work for a good agency. But I can't make a decision now. You should first check your company profile before making a decision. And, it could only be after the Riga Tournament." She said.

Mr. Stein had told him to ask for his advice before making any decisions about sports agents. In addition, he has heard about many cases where young players have been lured into fake contracts by unethical agents. Some fake agents will even put up websites and post selfies with famous football people to boost their business. Although Emily doesn't seem like a fake, she still has to proceed with caution.

He smiled and sipped his coffee again before continuing the conversation. "I understand that you have to be careful when choosing an agent. This is a logical thing to do before agreeing to an agent contract. But, let me remind you that you will need a team of agents to manage your affairs as soon as possible. Since you are a very talented player, it is inevitable."

He sounds a bit desperate. Nonetheless, Zachary waited for him to continue while chewing on his Crumble Cake. He needs to recruit her, not the other way around. He can be intentional, to some extent. That is one way to test his credibility as a sports agent.

Emily smiled before taking out a set of papers from her oversized handbag. "I've decided to go all out because I want you to be my first client" he said, handing over the letters.

Zachariah raised one eyebrow. "First client?" He looked through the paper and saw that it was his CV. On the first page, he could see his qualifications as a lawyer. He graduated from Edinburgh Law School. What's more, he has a very high CGPA of 3.8 out of 4. Zachary wondered why he didn't work at university rather than trying to be an agent.

"Yes." Yeah." Emily nodded. "I haven't signed any players yet. As you can see from my CV, I just graduated last year. I only interned at CAA Base Limited. I need a promising client as soon as possible. Or my career will be over. But don't worry. I work hard and learn fast. If you choose me as your agent, I'll represent you to the best of my ability."

"I'm sure you'll get a lot of contract offers after this tournament" Emily continued. "If I were your agent, I'd help you negotiate to achieve the best results."

"I will be able to get the most lucrative endorsements and sponsorship deals with companies like Nike and Sony in the long run. I'll also be responsible for organizing your TV, radio and digital media appearances. I'll do my best to help you. You build the perfect public image while also organizing your schedule. You just have to play football without worrying about anything else."

He sounded like he was looking for a job. Zachary empathizes with her.

"Do you have a contract offer that has been drafted?" Zachary asked after some consideration.

Emily gave him a dimpled smile. "I'm a lawyer. I always move on with contracts." He took out a set of papers from his handbag and handed them to her.

Zachary quickly scanned the letters and was surprised at the favorable terms in the contract. "No representative fee until I'm eighteen?" He looked at the brunette with skepticism. That means that he will negotiate his first professional salary contract with Rosenborg next December for free.

"You're a minor," Emily recited, supporting him with a slight smile. "We shouldn't take money from you. Our deal only ties you to our agency for four years after you become an adult."

"Oh," Zachary nodded, enlightened. "I think we should end the negotiations for now. I promised to check this contract in detail and consult some of my people tonight. If what you say is trustworthy, there is no harm in working with you. I'll tell you my decision tomorrow night." He said firmly, his tone convincing.

"Thank you" he said with a smile. "It's a relief for me." He took out a set of papers from his handbag and handed them to Zachary. "That's all the information I get about the strong teams participating in the Riga tournament. Think of it as my gift to you at our first meeting." She added.

Zachary received the letters. Inevitably he wondered if his handbag was storing a library of spatial documents. "Thank you very much" he said with a smile. "We'll talk again tomorrow."

**** ****

Zachary returned to his hotel room after the meeting. He realized that Kasongo had not returned from watching the match between Genoa and BK Frem.

Zachary called Mr. Stein immediately. He told me about CAA Base Limited and his conversation with Emily Anderson. Mr. Stein was surprised to hear that agents from international companies had tried to recruit him. He immediately told Zachary to scan the paper and send a soft copy to him— as soon as possible.

An hour later, he called back. The message: "Sign the contract."