THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Lerkendal Stadium

Zachary's signing ceremony took place without much fanfare. No journalists were present when he put his signature on the final contract. The only people present to witness his signing by the senior team were four Rosenborg executives and a photographer. However, he was not disappointed in the least. Despite not attracting many people for his first professional signing ceremony, he still feels happy to confirm his work with Norway's top club.

Zachary and Emily leave Brakka with Coach Johansen in his car as soon as the ceremony is over. They—accompanied by Mr. Erik Hoftun, Rosenborg's sporting director.

They set a course for Lerkendal Stadium to complete the procedures involved in Zachary's initiation into the senior team. He has yet to select lockers, go around the stadium, and meet with Rosenborg officials in charge of publicity.

"Zachary," shouted Coach Johansen as he passed the roundabout and pointed his Ford Ranger towards the road leading to the gate of Lerkendal Stadium. "I recommend that you take a few days off after completing the procedure today. You have to go home and do whatever you have to do today. Make sure everything in your life is in order. Then, rejoin the team for a practice session on Monday at 9:00 AM."

"It's better that I continue training with the team today" Zachary replied with a smile. He makes himself comfortable next to Emily in the back seat of Coach Johansen's car.

"Young man," Mr. Erik Hoftun, the sporting director sitting in the front passenger seat, interjected. "I advise you to follow Coach Johansen's advice. It's a good idea to take this weekend off and relax your body and mental state. His training will feel like hell from this Monday as we begin serious preparations for the new season. The rest will not be like the half-and-half regimen you used to do in the academy."

"Yes, director," Zachary replied half-heartedly. He is reluctant to take a weekend off because he intends to get an early position in the team as soon as possible. Losing the next two days of first-team training would reduce his chances significantly. Despite this, he decided to respect the coach's advice and stay at home over the weekend. He has waited three months to complete his contract with Rosenborg. He can wait two more days.

"That's great" Coach Johansen said without taking his eyes off the road. "I've been your coach for the last two years. All I can say is that you are one of the most focused young players I have ever coached. Your work ethic is commendable." He stopped, stepping on the brakes as he approached the zebra cross.

"Thank you for your praise," Zachary replied with a small nod.

"However, I see there are problems that can affect your performance as a professional athlete, maybe sooner or later" said the coach.

"The problem!" Zachary muttered, frowning.

In his two years at the academy, he had followed a strict training schedule and wasted no time. Whether it was the coldest day of winter or the Christmas break, he never missed a training session. So, he was confused about issues that could affect his performance as a professional player. He waited anxiously until the coach explained himself.

"Yes, there is a problem" coach Johansen said. "I have no doubts about your work ethic and commitment to training. However, you do not have a social life outside of football. You've spent two years in Trondheim, but all you do is practice, practice, and practice."

"Social life!" Zachary was once again confused. He was in Norway to play football and make money. However, the coach has just mentioned that his lack of social life is a problem that has the potential to hamper his career. Is that a joke? Moreover, it is the so-called social life that has destroyed his career in his previous life.

"Yes, you don't have a social life" continued the coach in a somber tone. "If I may ask, do you have a boyfriend? Or do you have more than three friends outside the football field?"

Zachary decided to remain silent.

"If the answers to those questions are negative, then you really don't have a social life. As a Coach, I'm just a little bit happy that you've devoted all your time to your career. However, once in a while, you need to let go and relax. Having a girlfriend is one way to unwind in the busy world of football. Otherwise, you'll be ruined, sooner or later."

"You and your agent should create a detailed schedule for your training from now on. The schedule should include a well-defined rest period for best effect. If possible, you should hire a professional coach to assist you in this. Miss Emily, what did you say?"

"Coach, I think that's a good idea, '" replied Emily cheerfully. "Before I left Trondheim, I would help Zachary hire a fitness trainer. Regarding the issue of rest, we can work with the club to achieve that. Moreover, there is a clause about this in the contract."

Both Emily and the sporting director were laughing out loud.

They continued to discuss Zachary's career as they approached the stadium gates. The coach continues to advise Zachary on how to make it big on the professional stage. He even mentioned the problem of growth delays that could potentially cause injury. He stated that he would design a training regimen to adapt Zachary to his physical growth the following week. Coach Johansen wants to ensure Zachary's injury risk as the growth spurt is reduced to a minimum before his debut.

"Emily, this must be your first time in Lerkendal?" Mr. Erik Hoftun, the sporting director, asked when Coach Johansen drove the car to the stadium gate.

"You're wrong, director," Emily replied as she shook her head. "It's like the fourth time I've been here in Lerkendal. Most of my meetings with Mr. Malvik happened here."

"But I'm sure you didn't get a chance to go around the stadium" asked the sporting director, turning to face Emily.

"You're right," Emily agreed. "This will be my first tour around Lerkendal. So, I'm going to take a lot of photos for my Facebook page." She smiles.

"Coach," Zachary interjected as Coach Johansen drove his car into the parking lot. "I heard there were two preseason games against the Swedish team, Malmo and SK rebro, scheduled for next week. If I perform well in Monday's training, can I get a chance to join the first team?"

Coach Johansen laughed, shaking his head. "Zach, we have to slow him down in the first team. I know you're very talented, but we'll have to deal with your growth spurt first. We don't want our most promising young talent to get injured in a friendly even before the season starts." He stopped, opened the door and got out of the vehicle. The rest followed and stepped out of the black Ford through their respective doors.

"Zach" continued the coach, his tone grim. "I implore you to take your growth spurt seriously. You have grown a few inches in just a few months. It will affect your running and dribbling posture. If you don't handle this carefully, you'll eventually recur.Injury even before your career takes off. Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach." Zakaria nodded. "But I would like to point out that I have been doing a lot of agility-enhancing exercises over the past few months. I am fully fit and ready to play at any time without risking injury."

Since graduating from the academy, Zachary has pondered playing style issues he could use to better fit in with the first team. In the academy, he played more as a half-ass attacker instead of a midfielder. Zachary has often dribbling runs past defenders to score goals. But he cannot continue to use the same style on the professional stage because defenders are much more skilled than young players.

Instead, he intends to improve his game and adopt a proper passing approach to win an early position in Rosenborg's first team. He hopes to become a Maestro who can dominate the game with just a few touches rather than dribbling past defenders. That way, he would not have to worry about getting hurt despite experiencing a late growth spurt. But for that to happen, the coach has to give him a chance to prove himself in a game first.

"Well, we'll see" replied Coach Johansen, taking his bag from the Ford cabin. "If you are fully fit, you can join the squad sooner than expected. But you need to know that it's not just my approval that you need to win. You should also impress your teammates to the extent that they do not. Don't doubt your locker skills and complete the transfer procedure. We'll handle the rest on Monday."

Lerkendal Stadium, home to Rosenborg BK located three kilometers south of the city center, is very pampering for the eyes. It was an all-seater stadium consisting of four three-tier stands without corners with a capacity for 21,421 spectators. About thirteen thousand were in club seating and luxury boxes in the middle level of the four stands.

Zachary and Emily follow Mr. Hoftun as they toured the stadium. They walked past all the Lerkendal Idresspark sports facilities, including a gym, three courts, and a locker room.

Zachary has been training with the first team for a few months, so he knows most of the facilities. But he still follows the sporting director as he takes him around the facility introducing him to different club employees. By the afternoon of that day, Zachary had met with publicity secretaries, various trainers, gardeners, gym attendants, and other managers—in charge of the day-to-day operation of the Rosenborg facility.

When she finishes the tour, she holds a brief meeting with Emily about her contract and hires a personal trainer at a restaurant near Rosenborg. He then returned to his apartment to rest that night, feeling satisfied after signing the contract. He intends to buy new skills from the system that night to prepare for the new season.