THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary woke up later than usual the following day. He was suffering from post-match fatigued since he'd played all the ninety minutes against Fiorentina the previous evening. He couldn't even walk with a steady gait since all his joints were aching as if they were full of lead.

Be that as it may, he didn't dare miss exercising that morning as he was a man still on a mission to improve himself. He worked with weights for twenty minutes and then jumped on the treadmill for a 15-minute conditioning session. After that, he performed some static stretches for five minutes before switching to a yoga routine to boost his recovery from post-match fatigue.

Zachary was well aware that he couldn't afford to waste time resting on his laurels since he hadn't yet mastered the Robinho-step-over juju. So, he was very meticulous while going through each of the routines and performed them with a hundred percent focus until he was sweating and out of breath.

By the end of the session, he could feel that his muscles had relaxed to a great extent and were no longer aching like when he'd just got up from bed. For sure, the drills were already boosting his recovery.

After completing the exercises, he took a cold shower before heading to the kitchen to prepare himself something to eat. He was very thorough while arranging his meal since he was well aware of the importance of breakfast for a professional athlete.

Within one hour of waking up, the body would always be like a sponge ready to absorb energy from food. Thus, if an athlete missed eating breakfast in that small window in the morning, the metabolism would slow down. The body would then be forced to look for alternative fuel sources by breaking down the body's stores. What would follow would be the decline in the athlete's performance during the rest of the day.

Over the past four months, Zachary had been regularly consulting a sports nutritionist on how to handle his meals. He'd even developed a specialized diet for each meal for every single day of the week to meet his training needs. So, he didn't waste any time deliberating on what to cook for breakfast that morning.

He prepared some milk, eggs, bacon, toasted bread, and plenty of mixed-fruit juice with a practiced hand before settling on his dining table to feast on his breakfast. In order to pass the time more effectively, he even started browsing the sports news on his phone.

Most of the articles in the news were about the recently-played UEFA Champions League and Europa League matches. However, the ones that attracted Zachary's attention were those reporting the results and match summaries from the previous day's Europa League round of thirty-two stage.

Juventus had won its Europa League home game against Trabzonspor, the Turkish football club, by a score of 2:0. Daniel Osvaldo and Paul Pogba each scored in the 16th and 90th minute, respectively, to ensure that the Italian giants came out on top at the end of the night. Moreover, considering their commanding performance, they were also the favorites to win the second leg that was to be held in Turkey the following week. If nothing unexpected transpired, they would surely qualify for the round of sixteen.

Thence, should Rosenborg overcome Fiorentina in Florence the following week, they would have a high probability of facing off against Juventus, the leviathan of Italian football, in the round of sixteen.

"What kind of luck is this?"

Zachary couldn't help but let out a sigh as he considered the chances of Rosenborg against the Italian giants. A much-weaker Fiorentina had given them a hard time the previous night. So, on paper, the odds would evidently be against them if they played Juventus — a team brimming with incredible players like Carlos Tévez, Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, and Andrea Pirlo, among others. Considering those fixtures ahead, the luck of the Troll Kids in the Europa League draw was really terrible.

"The road ahead is sure filled with hardships."

Zachary shook his head in resignation before continuing to savor his breakfast. He'd resolved to take one match at a time and leave everything else to luck. Nothing else mattered to him aside from Rosenborg's Europa League match scheduled for next week.

As long as Rosenborg could defeat Fiorentina and qualify for the round of sixteen, then he would be satisfied. He would have completed at least one of the system's 2013/14 Europa League serial mission milestones. Thus, he would no longer have to worry about the system penalty of 120,000 Juju points.

"Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt!"

The phone in his hands started vibrating while he was still enjoying his breakfast. He immediately noticed that the call was from Kasongo, his long-time friend. So, without losing a moment, he accepted the call before placing the phone against his ear.

"Hello, Kasongo," he said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," Kasongo replied from the other end of the line. "How are you today, Zachary?"

"I'm also fine," Zachary replied. "By the way, before I forget, let me first congratulate you upon making your official debut for Rosenborg yesterday. You played quite well and even provided an assist for the second goal. The coach will surely remember you while making the squad for the next game."

Kasongo chuckled from the other end of the line. "Thanks, Zach. I also hope to get more opportunities to play for Rosenborg from now on."

"You certainly will if you continue working hard."

"Hearing that from you puts my heart at ease. By the way, Zach. I'm here with the Otterson brothers, and we were wondering if you have some time to hang out with us. We wish to consult you about some issues."

"Oh!" Zachary said, glancing at his wall clock. "I have a training session with my fitness trainer at 3:00 PM. But, I'll be free to meet up before then."

"Then, that's great," Kasongo said excitedly. "Can we come over to your place right now?"

"That's also okay."

"Great," Kasongo said. "See you in a bit."

"Okay, see you," Zachary replied before hanging up.