The Greatest of all Time

Zachary was in high spirits as he stepped out of Angelo's Citroen after arriving in front of the J Hotel that Friday evening. He was just from the Juventus training center, where he had attended Coach Allegri's pre-match tactical briefing. And naturally, he had made Juventus' starting eleven for the second time in a row within a week.

He waved Angelo goodbye and took a moment to savor the refreshing sights in front of the J Hotel. He stood motionless, watching the horizon absentmindedly without minding anything around him. The dim moonlight shrouded the land, and a cool and refreshing breeze swept around him to wash away any remnants of heat from the day. However, he didn't move as if he hadn't noticed that dusk had already arrived.

The gears in his mind were stirring and turning as he set goals for the following day's game. He had messed up big time during the pre-season and caused his team to lose the game against AC Milan. Now that he was back to full fitness, it was time for him to make amends when he faced the Milan boys the following evening.

He was enjoying his time in Italy. He was having a blast playing for Juventus, one of the biggest teams in Europe. And as the highest paid player in such a famous club, he wanted to prove himself by using his skills to destroy his opponents. He would do his utmost to ensure that no one would stop him during his first game in the San Siro. He would do his best to convince his teammates and coaches that he deserved all the money he was getting from Juventus. He was focused on his goals.

"Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt!"

At that moment, Zachary's phone vibrated within one of his tracksuit pockets, and pushed him out of his state of contemplation. He immediately fished it out and glanced at the screen. The next instant, his face lit up with a smile as he realized it was Camilla, his girlfriend, calling. Without hesitation, he pressed the accept button and held the phone against his ear.

"Hello, Camilla," he said, "It's nice to hear from you. How are you doing?"

"Honestly, I'm not okay," Camilla replied.

"Oh!" Zachary was a bit shaken. He braced himself and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Are you really going to pretend that you don't know?" Camilla questioned. "You switched off your phone and ignored all my calls for two days straight. What's up with that? Don't you think about me sometimes? Do I mean nothing to you?"

In response, Zachary was at a loss for words. He didn't bother to give Camilla excuses as he was sure she wouldn't buy them. He just replied, "I'm sorry."

Camilla sighed and switched the topic. "Let's stop with the annoying stuff. How are your preparations for the match against AC Milan coming along? Did you make the team?"

"Yes, I'm in the starting eleven," Zachary replied almost instantaneously. "I'm starting for Juventus for the second time in a row. Will you travel to Milan to watch our game? I can get you a VIP match ticket if you're to consider attending."

"Thanks," Camilla replied. "But unfortunately, I can't travel to Italy this weekend. I have a lot of deadlines coming up next week. So, I have got to stay home and try to finish my work."

"I see," Zachary said, feeling a bit sour. He had hoped he could link up with Camilla after the game against AC Milan to have some fun. But it seemed he wouldn't realize his wish, as Camilla had chosen to stay back in Trondheim with the excuse of finishing up her work.

"By the way, has Emily talked to you about the new contract offered by Audi?" Camilla asked as if in passing from the other side of the line. "My bosses should have offered your party a lucrative endorsement deal about three weeks ago! But your side is not responding! What's up? Are the terms of the contract not to your liking?"

Zachary felt a headache coming and said, "Honestly, I have chosen not to look at any endorsement contract proposals until I settle down in Turin and start playing consistently for Juventus. I wish to limit distractions during this crucial period of my career."

"Oh, I see," Camilla remarked from the other end of the line. "That's understandable. Anyways, Zachary, it was nice talking to you. Let me say goodbye for now. I know you have to go to bed early so that you can be in good shape for tomorrow's game. Just remember that I love you."

"I love you, too," Zachary responded. "Thanks for calling, and goodnight."

"Goodnight," Camilla said before ending the call.

Zachary sighed as he shoved the phone back into his pocket. He could tell that Camilla was a bit angry just from the tone of her voice. She was not her usual charming self — and as a result, their conversation had felt a bit dry. All that caused alarm bells to go off within Zachary's mind as he could feel the distance between them growing and widening. Their long-distance relationship would likely fail if he didn't put in some effort.

"What's meant to happen will happen," Zachary thought as he turned around and headed into the hotel. "I'll try to surprise her with a nice present on her birthday next week. Hope that raises her spirits."

Zachary tossed all the relationship issues to the back of his mind as he entered the hotel. As a one-track-minded footballer, he was once again soon contemplating the tactics for the following day's game against AC Milan. He continued pondering various match scenarios until he went to bed at ten that night.

****  ****

Saturday, September 20th, 2014.

Time:  8:00 PM

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The electric lamps hanging on the walls cast a misty glow upon Camilla's face as she lay on a sofa in her living room. She sighed for the umpteenth time that evening as she tenderly caressed her flat stomach. The next moment, she seemed to recall something and glanced at the big clock on the opposite wall.

"It's already time," she mumbled and sat upright on the sofa. She picked up the remote from a nearby table and pressed the red button to power up her 50-inch smart TV. She was, of course, getting ready to watch Zachary's match against AC Milan.

As the smart TV was in the process of booting up, she stared at it absentmindedly. Her mind started wandering, and jumbled thoughts about Zachary fleeted around her brain. Was he angry since she hadn't traveled to Milan to watch his match? Did he ever think about her while they were apart? Did he truly love her? After pondering various questions for a few seconds, she sighed while subconsciously caressing her belly again.

She was not in the best of moods as she could feel things weren't going right with Zachary. Over the past few days, he'd again returned to his old habits and started ignoring her completely. He could spend days without calling or even sending her a simple 'hi' on WhatsApp. Whether it was because he was busy or something else — Camilla didn't know. But all she knew was that his ignoring her hurt and confused her a lot. She was often left wondering whether he was serious about their relationship or if he saw her as a casual partner to have fun with and throw away later. She was in a dilemma.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the TV host's voice reverberated around the room after the TV finished booting up. "We're about to witness the battle between titans. Viewers! AC Milan will welcome Juventus to the San Siro for their first Serie A face-off this season. Both teams have won their opening two fixtures, and whoever wins the game today will end the night at the top of the table. With me here to analyze the game are three pundits, namely: Shaka Hislop, Steve Nicol, and Joshua Morales. Welcome to the ESPN Studios, gentlemen."

"Thank you," the three pundits replied, more or less in unison.

The host smiled as the cameras focused back on him. "Let's get right into it and start with your predictions. Gentlemen! Who do you think will win this game? AC Milan or Juventus?"

"I'll go with Juventus," Shaka Hislop was the first to reply. "The Old Lady players are on form this season. I don't think that AC Milan has what it takes to stop them at the moment. My prediction is 3:1 in favor of Juventus."

"I'll also go with Juventus," Joshua Morales said. "They have Carlos Tévez, Zachary Bemba, Andrea Pirlo, and Stephan Lichtsteiner. Those players are all on-form and have been impressive during the past few matches. They will help Juventus thrash AC Milan 2:0 in the game tonight. That's my prediction."

"I'll go with AC Milan," Steve Nicol said. "AC Milan has the home advantage and a crowd of enthusiastic supporters behind them. AC Milan also has a fairly strong squad that is shaping up well this season. If they can play their cards right, they can defeat Juventus by a goal to nil. That's my prediction."

"Thank you, gentlemen," the host said with a smile. "We'll get back to those predictions after the final whistle. But for now, let's talk tactics. Shaka! How do you think the two teams will shape up today?"

"Well," Shaka said as the cameras focused on him, "I think Juventus will use the same system they used against Malmo in midweek. They will play a back three, five midfielders, and two strikers. Two of the central midfielders will concentrate on linking play with the defense, while Zachary Bemba will play an advanced role as an attacking pivot or sometimes as a false nine, as we saw in the game against Malmo. As a unit, the whole Juventus team will try to build up play from the back with slow but steady passes as they search for opportunities. And when there's a chance, we might witness a moment of magic from the wing-backs, or we could see Zachary, the attacking pivot, dribbling forward or playing a forward pass to the two strikers."

"AC Milan, on the other hand, will most likely utilize a 4-3-3 formation and play a counterattacking game. Their three central midfielders will remain compact throughout the game to try and stop Juventus' fluid passing. As for their wingers, they will try to run into the spaces behind the Juventus wing-backs whenever there's a counterattacking opportunity. They will be looking to catch those Juventus attacking wing-backs off-guard before creating goals-scoring opportunities."

"Thanks for your analysis, Shaka," the host said before turning towards another pundit. "Joshua! Which players do you think will be most crucial in influencing the score at the end of this game?"

Joshua Morales smiled. "On Juventus' side, it will be Zachary Bemba, Andrea Pirlo, and Carlos Tévez. If those three perform at their best, I'm sure Juventus will win the game. On AC Milan's side, it should be Sulley Muntari, Nigel de Jong, and Stephan El Shaarawy. Muntari and De Jong, the two midfielders, have to stay on their toes to contain Juventus midfield which comprises the likes of Zachary Bemba, Andrea Pirlo, and Claudio Marchisio. El Shaarawy, on the other hand, has to take his chances well and ensure that AC Milan gets a goal on the counter. Otherwise, his team will lose to Juventus."

"Thank you, Joshua," the host said with a smile. "Let's first turn our focus to the San Siro Stadium, where the players of both teams are warming up. They are doing their best to prepare for the match that is about to commence. Will AC Milan overcome all odds and come out on top after the final whistle? Or will Juventus play as usual and win the game? Viewers! Stay tuned. We'll be back shortly to look at the line-ups of both teams."

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