THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

The fitness testing was more rigorous than Zachary had initially expected. It included specialized tests to evaluate a player's body fat content, strength and power, speed and instantaneous sprint ability, agility, plus aerobic fitness. Moreover, since the entire session was overseen by top sports physicians associated with Rosenborg, it was almost like another medical. It demanded a great deal of exertion and concentration from the players and was a hell lot taxing, for sure.

However, since the coach had ordered the testing, not a single person on the training ground dared to complain. The players all quietly stepped forward for the testing since they didn't want to go into the bad books of their coach. One by one, they went through the various tests as the minutes flashed by, and soon it was Zachary's turn.

Zachary stepped forward with confidence when the physician called out his name. At that moment, he wasn't the least bit worried about the fitness tests.

He had already consumed the vitality-enhancing-elixir and honed his fitness to an incredible level during the off-season. As a result, he was sure that he could even outperform most players in top-tier European leagues when comparing body fitness.

"Enter the tactics room where you'll have your body fat content tested," the physician said with an expressionless face.

"Okay," Zachary replied before stepping into the tactics room where some of the physicians had set up their equipment.

The physicians used the skinfold method to measure Zachary's body fat content. In particular, they used calipers to measure the thickness of the skin at a range of sites around his body. That way, they could accurately determine whether there was any excess fat on his body.

But who was Zachary? He was a player that'd spent plenty of hours over the past two months honing his fitness. He was thus as fit as a fiddle and possessed well-streamlined muscles without any excess fat on his body. His lean six-pack physique was like a work of art, exuding power and masculinity. So, could he really fail a body fat content test?

What a joke!

The analogy was simply like stating that a fish couldn't swim.

Zachary, of course, passed the body content test with flying colors. However, he didn't just stop at that. He also went through the aerobic fitness tests, the body-flexibility tests, and the vertical jumps without breaking a sweat. His performance was so eye-catching to the point that most of the physicians started gawking at him with expressions of undisguised wonderment.

"Your fitness levels are off the charts, young man," the old physician said with a smile after noting down Zachary's endurance and vertical jump measurements. "They're the best I've seen here at Rosenborg in a long time. Keep up the good work, and you might once rise up the ranks to become the best in the world of football."

"Thank you, doctor," Zachary replied humbly. "But, are the tests done?" He asked while looking around. He'd completed the tests without exerting much effort — a feat that really surprised him. He couldn't help but wonder whether those were the same tests that had made the rest of his teammates sweat with trepidation.

"Not yet," the old physician said. His tone was a lot warmer that time around. It seemed that Zachary's performance had truly impressed him. "You can head back to the training ground. Your coaches will conduct the agility and sprinting tests there. I wish you luck."

"Thank you," Zachary replied before stepping out of the testing room and heading back to the training ground. He was looking forward to undergoing the agility and sprinting tests. That was because they could help him determine by how much he'd improved after consuming the elixirs and training like a maniac over the past two months.

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Coach Johansen's stood on the sidelines, overseeing his assistants taking the players through the agility and sprinting tests. In his hands was a notebook where he was noting the results of the worst and best players as the testing proceeded forward. He was very meticulous when assessing the players since the two tests of agility and repeat-sprint ability were crucial when determining the actual match fitness of a football player.

Agility included a player's capacity to change direction quickly while in motion. A highly-agile player like Lionel Messi possessed the ability to adapt quickly and easily in response to challenges. He could easily break through defenses with a simple change in direction. That was the true power of agility on the field of play.

On the other hand, Repeat-Sprint ability was the capacity of an athlete to recover and maintain maximal effort during subsequent sprints. It was an attribute considered important to team sports like football. Players with a high level of repeat-sprint ability were monsters on the pitch, especially with regard to work rate. That was because they could chase after the ball and close down opponents repeatedly since they wouldn't tire, even after making repeated sprints within a short time window.

As a coach, Boyd Johansen understood the importance of those two tests. Thus, he'd decided to oversee the two tests himself so as to get a clear handle on all his players' match-fitness levels before including them in his training plans.

Suddenly, the voice of Trond Henriksen, his assistant, sounded from beside him as he was still observing one of the players. "Is it just me, or does Zachary look faster and more agile than last season? He's going through the arrow-head agility drill without exerting much effort. Yet, his time still seems to be significantly ahead of the rest of his teammates."

"Oh," Coach Johansen exclaimed, his heart skipping a beat. Without losing a second, he cast his gaze towards the side of the pitch where Zachary was going through an agility test.

"Huh? How did this Zachary train during the off-season?"

Coach Johansen was astonished. Although he hadn't yet seen the results from the timing gates within the drill set-up, he could still distinguish that Zachary was very fast and highly agile.

Compared to his previous self, who played for Rosenborg last season, he was more monstrous when considering the attribute of speed. The difference was akin to pitting the best time of Usain Bolt against that of Amiya Mallick. There was no need for any comparison, even if it was the same person.

"How could a player improve by that much over a short period of only two months?"

Coach Johansen's mouth was agape as he followed Zachary's movement through the drills. He could tell that the young man had grown considerably in more than one aspect. For instance, his body control and agility attributes had also experienced huge breakthroughs during the off-season. That was why his motions through the arrow-head drill set-up were like moving clouds and flowing water, smooth and mind stirring. There weren't any bits of excess movements even when he cut the sharp corners. He was just that monstrous.

"Trond," Coach Johansen said after watching for a while longer.

"Yes."

"Help me and call Dr. Pederson over. We need to understand whether Zachary has made improvements in the other aspects of his fitness."

"Okay," Trond Henriksen replied with a nod. "I'll call the old doctor right away."

Doctor Eivind Pederson, the aged doctor who'd tested Zachary's other fitness attributes, soon arrived at the scene. Using simple terms that even an amateur could understand, he began presenting Zachary's other fitness measurements.

Coach Johansen at first listened with an obviously stunned expression plastered upon his face. But the more he heard, the more numb he became until he just sighed and shook his head in utter wonderment.

"Doctor, what is really going on here?" Coach Johansen queried after the doctor had finished presenting the results. "Zachary went through a medical at the end of November, right before our match against Molde in the Norwegian Cup final. His fitness wasn't this high at the time. However, only two to three months have passed, yet the results of his fitness test have increased by leaps and bounds. Could he be using performance-enhancing drugs?"

"Careful, careful," Dr. Pederson warned. "I don't think that there is any performance-enhancing drug in the world at the moment that can induce such a stable growth in an athlete. So, the accusation could create a rift between the team and the player if he so happened to hear you. And we wouldn't want that. Would we?"

"I'm sorry," Coach Johansen said, his tone apologetic. "I just lost myself for a moment there due to the shock I was feeling."

"Just be careful," Dr. Pederson said. "Regarding his marked improvement over the past two to three months: I think that he's undergoing a spell of exponential growth during this period. As a result, his fitness attributes are also improving along."

"Many athletes experience this bout of growth, especially within the 18 to 23 year age bracket. For instance, sprinters become faster while footballers grow stronger and more agile during such a period. So, there's no need for us to be surprised."

"Moreover," the physician continued with a smile. "Zachary's fitness measurements show us that he spends a lot of time training his body. That is why all the aspects of his fitness, including body fat content, endurance, agility, strength, and power, are all well balanced and stable for the case of his body. That wouldn't be the case if he occasionally used performance-enhancing drugs."

Coach Johansen nodded after hearing the doctor's explanation. Of course, he didn't believe that Zachary was using performance enhancing-drugs as their positive effects were only short-term. He'd just uttered the statement due to the shock he'd been feeling at that moment.

"This is good for us," he said after getting over his shock.

"Yes, it's good for us," Dr. Pederson agreed. "We should be happy that one of our players has made such a remarkable improvement."

"And if this improvement can translate into real ability on the pitch..." Coach Johansen trailed off while grinning.

"Then, we'll have someone that is almost comparable to a young Messi or Ronaldo here in our team," The doctor completed the coach's sentence also with a grin.

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