THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Battle of Underdog V

Without turning around, Zachary leapt high into the line of flying balls and displayed his upper back as the receiving surface. At the same time, he relaxed his back muscles to kill the momentum of the ball upon contact. And as he expected, he felt the ball hit his back in the next second, as he was at the peak of his jump.

At that moment, Zachary pushed his back muscles, holding the ball past the chasing defender before he started to descend back to the ground. When his foot touched the ground, he did not stop—but revolved around a bewildered defender who was still looking for the ball.

Zachary smiled when he realized he had pushed the ball in the right direction. He has pointed it over the shoulder of the defender, with his back. Zachary ignored the defender who was chasing—who tried to break him and release him with a ball—like wind, running towards the ADO Den Hague box. His heart pounded fiercely on his chest like he was a predator on the hunt as he ran, cutting back into the field.

A defender appeared in his tunnel vision, but he poked the ball between his legs and dodged it with his incredible speed. Another defender shut it down as soon as he passed the first one. He used the same trick. Without slowing down, he nudged the ball slightly, pushing it between his legs with the tip of his boots. He then darted past her, leaving her face down, on the artificial grass.

The third defender came soon after with a sliding tackle. Zachary slowed down a bit and dug the tip of his left boot under the ball rolling at his feet. Without stopping, he deftly flicked the ball past defenders and then jumped it— before restarting his crazy sprint across the green.

Zachary had regained his instinctive state of mind once again. The thought process when running with the ball is so fast, that the actions of the defenders seem like part of the video in slow motion. His eyes focused on the obstacles—the defenders in front of him. However, in a strange way, he could still see and react in time when someone approached him from his blind spot.

He continued his attack towards the ADO Den Hague box, passing defender after defender before facing the goalkeeper.

Zachary did not slow down when the goalkeeper came out to greet him. He dodged it with his silly steps and missed the challenge he noticed in his peripheral vision. He kept running with the ball all the way to the back of the net.

He was just out of an incredible state of mind when rjan came to him to celebrate the goal. Then it all comes back to him: How he somehow zig-zagged past many defenders without much conscious thought. That state of focus is truly divine.

He tried to capitalize on that feeling, to attract instinct—states of mind that have improved his style of play. However, it quickly passed, receding like a wave from his conscious mind. Soon, it disappeared without a trace.

[What feeling is that?] He looked back as he went back to himself. He had never felt anything like it in both of his lives. He wondered if the state of mind was something that all developing athletes had or something that was born out of the system. Whatever the case, he was determined to find out.

Zachary brushed those strange thoughts out of his mind as his other team-mates ran into ADO Den Hague goalposts and jumped at him to celebrate the goal. His mood lifted when he remembered that he might have just scored the NF Academy's winning goal.

NF Academy led 2:1 in the semifinals. The digital clock on the big screen just showed the 82nd minute. Zachary has put his side ahead with just eight minutes of play time remaining, ignoring injury time.

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"It's incredible, it's incredible, it's just magic" the commentator's heavy voice boomed over the loud cheers in the stadium. "Geez! What an incredible goal! The genius! Are we witnessing a great birth here at the Riga tournament? Somebody, please slap me and tell me that I'm dreaming. The goal was out of this world. .."

Emily Anderson, in the stands, was overjoyed after Zachary scored her second goal. The commentator's rant sounded like music to his ears. The cheers of the fans present warmed the air around him more than the sun could.

In his eyes, Zachary was like a goose laying golden eggs. Every spectacular goal he scores will result in a huge amount of money later on. There must be some potential support deals around the corner if he can maintain his current form.

Emily smiled, shaking her head. "I've spoken at length with him about moving. He said he wanted to find his feet first in the Norwegian League which was easier. He would only think of moving to a greater stage after that."

Jimmy raised one eyebrow. "Are you 'just' going to let him waste his time in that league? The Tottenham guys just contacted me last night. They were ready to offer him a deal if he wanted to go to London as soon as he turned eighteen. You want to let him miss such a golden opportunity?" She asked, locking eyes with Emily. "Why am I not surprised? Besides, you're an intern."

Emily frowned. "The decision to move should represent the core interests of the player. I've spoken to him, and he really wants to stay in Norway for now." He said, his voice firm.

Jimmy shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I have to see him myself before the tournament ends. Try to arrange a meeting with him away from the other eye. Only then can I determine if what you say is true."

"I'll tell her about your advice" replied Emily. "If he agrees with the meeting, then good and good. But, if he objected, there's nothing I can do."

He smiled gently. "And FYI, the offer from Tottenham is not the only one he has received. Zenit, Atalanta, and Genoa all showed interest in him. However, he had yet to agree to meet with their representative."

Jimmy smiled, shaking his head. "That's the problem with young, inexperienced agents like you. There is always a price for everyone. Our role as agents is to determine that price and encourage our clients to take on a more lucrative deal. Don't bother with meetings anymore. I'll try to see if I can move things my own way."

Emily frowned, her mind thinking of all the paths Jimmy could take to push Zachary away from Norway. However, he did not find it, except to offer a very lucrative contract that was difficult to refuse.

However, no big club would be willing to offer big money contracts to inexperienced players still in the academy. Players can lose form as they progress in a few years. A player who is the best in the academy does not necessarily remain at the top of his game five or ten years later. That is why a football career— is often considered a marathon, not a sprint.

A player must continue to do his best in both practice and matches to maintain his performance in the long run. Otherwise, he would stumble and become mediocre before reaching the finish line.

Club executives know that the truth is simple, and in most cases, will not allow their scouting department to offer contracts involving large sums of money to inexperienced players. That's why he agreed with Zachary when he said he wanted to play in Norway for some time before moving on to the bigger stage. If he manages to play well in his debut season at Rosenborg, he could get a hefty transfer fee from a big club that wants him.

The higher the transfer fee, the higher the commission when he finishes negotiating the transfer. Perhaps after such a deal, he would be able to fulfill his long-held dream of starting his own sports agency. It was his target, and he would not let anyone mess up his first golden goose.

He shook his head, scattered the daydreams from his head, and returned his focus to the matches. He was glad he hired a cameraman for the game rather than doing it himself. He was able to enjoy 90 minutes of football completely without being distracted by the work of recording Zachary's performances.

ADO Den Hague still dictates the tempo of the game despite the new conceded. They continue to use their typical wing attack and send a cross into the box every few minutes. NF Academy are under immense pressure and cannot seem to snatch the ball from half a— towards Zachary and the other attackers. However, they managed to hold out until the match ended 2:1 for the NF Academy victory.

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