THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Winners
As he celebrates with his teammates, Zachary feels a surge of happiness flowing through him like a warm ocean wave, washing away all his fatigue. He feels refreshed both inside and out, even though he has been running all over the field.
He enjoys the memories when he scores. The feeling that developed inside him was like a happy awakening as he watched the ball soar to the back of the net from 80 yards. He misses more times like that.
He wants to score more winning goals and experience the same excitement as his career progresses. He could easily be addicted to such excitement. He came to learn that without happiness, life is meaningless.
The whole team, including the bench, joined in the celebration. Zachary hugged his teammates tightly, forming a sort of chaotic team crowd, singing excitedly. They don't care one bit about referee—who tries his best to get them back on the pitch. NF Academy went two goals ahead, in the 98th minute, past the allotted injury time period. They 'definitely' won the Riga Cup final.
"Friends," cried Kendrick, trying to break the joyous mood of his team-mates. "Let's go back and finish this. We'll celebrate after the final whistle rings."
Zachary returns to himself after hearing Kendrick's voice. "Friends," he also shouted as he realized that none of his teammates were trying to get out of the crowd. "Let's get back on the pitch and play the last few seconds of the game. We have an entire weekend to celebrate after this final." He added at the top of his lungs.
When his teammates heard his voice, they did not linger. They immediately returned to their position on the field, waiting for the resumption of the game. However, none of them could cover their excitement. They were all grinning like gorillas who found themselves in a ripe banana plantation.
*FREEEE*
The referee blew the whistle, and the game restarted with a VfB Stuttgart kick-off. Felix Lohkemper, the VfB Stuttgart forward, lifted his foot and kicked the ball to the left wing where Phillipp Mwene, left-back, was waiting.
Zachary felt awe at the players of VfB Stuttgart as he watched their entire army rush forward to attack once more. They did not give up even at the last minute. They swept towards the half of the NF Academy like a storm as if they wanted to obtain a goal that second as well. Zachary is confident they will score if they are given one extra minute of game time.
However
*FREEEE*
The referee blew his whistle before they could reach the NF Academy box. The Riga Cup final ended in the 99th minute.
The NF Academy players started celebrating once again.
**** ****
Coach Johansen could not help but smile as he watched his players celebrate their victory after the final whistle sounded. Watching the game from the sidelines is like riding a roller coaster. His heart leaped down his throat as VfB Stuttgart came close to scoring with their last corner. However, Zachary has come forward and done his best. He turned the whole game around in a few seconds.
With the Riga Cup in hand, he has a slim chance of successfully applying for a better position at Rosenborg. He has heard that the club will embark on a Back to Root Project aiming to take back its place at the top of the league.
Management were unhappy with the club's performance following the departure of Coach Nils Eggen in 2010. Rosenborg had only finished third the previous season under new head coach Jan Jonsson. Both the chairman and the sporting director are actively looking for a coach who understands the club and its players well. They want a manager who can work well with a local squad that currently has local talent to bring the club back to the top. Coach Johansen is determined to fight for the position.
He did not want to sit down and become the reserve team manager the following year. He wants to get involved in top-flight action instead. His ideals have always competed with the big names in the football industry. With a prodigy as talented as Zachary, he feels he has a chance to bring Rosenborg back to the top in his first year as a manager. That is if he manages to get the job.
"Coach, you didn't participate in the celebration?" a voice said from behind him.
Coach Johansen tilted his head and noticed that Zachary had once slipped behind him. "Are you not going to join the others as well?" Reply, pat the skipper's shoulder.
Zachary smiled, shaking his head. "I took the time to relax. But mostly, I hid from that overzealous reporter. They've been chasing me all over the field since the game's over." He sighed.
Coach Johansen nodded. "But you have to get used to the press if you want to be a professional."
"I know," Zachary recited, nodding. "It feels very unreal to win a cup. But I believe this victory is just the beginning for me. I hope to win more tournaments in my career."
Coach Johansen gave him a smile. "Don't worry. We still have SIA and the Norwegian Youth Cup in the summer. You may get a chance to snatch another trophy faster than you expect. That's if you maintain your current performance."
Zakaria shook her head. “I don't think I can still experience that kind of excitement against an academy team. I feel facing the academy players is too easy. And, I was worried I would fall if I didn't get a bigger challenge. I can't wait for December to arrive so I can join the first-tier league."
"Don't be in a hurry, or you'll stumble" Coach Johansen said, half-smiling. "You're still in a stage where you're growing fast. You can use the few months left to hone your skills. You won't get much time for it when you become a professional."
"That's my plan," Zachary replied, his tone firm.
**** ****
He felt like he had been Zachary's agent for over a year but he had only known him for a week. When they had their first meeting at the coffee shop, they were immediately clicked on as agent-and-client. He could hardly believe his success of being the first person to reach for Zachary's signature. He is determined to do his best for his clients.
When the cameraman left, he returned his attention to the field. The committee has already started preparing a temporary podium. Meanwhile, the NF Academy players ran around the field, singing, jumping, and doing the odd dance— to celebrate their victory. One of the players even turned over.
Emily wondered where they could get that extra stamina after playing for more than 90 minutes in an intensive final. They look very energetic despite acting like sick people—goats tired a few minutes ago—before the final whistle is sounded. If they showed the same stamina in the final minutes of the game, they would win the final easily, without any rush.
He sharpened his eyes, looking for Zachary. But he couldn't find it in the celebrating group. He let his gaze wander around the pitch, passing the Stuttgart— VfB players who were in a somber mood after losing the final. His eyes continued to observe the field— until he saw him standing close to his coach in the dugout.
[What does he do when his team-mates celebrate?] I don't want him to wonder. He seems to be talking seriously with his coach— like they are preparing for another game. It was an unusual 'absolutely' behaviour after winning the final.
**** ****
Zachary continued to mince words with Coach Johansen, hiding from reporters, until his team-mates dragged him away to join the celebrations minutes later. He half-heartedly joined the group of cheering players, running around the field to share the excitement of their victory.
However, tournament organizers soon cut their celebrations. They finally finished preparing the podium. The awards ceremony is about to begin.
A marching band played some interesting Russian or Latvian songs as Tottenham players, dressed in white tracksuits, came onto the pitch to receive their medals. They received their first bronze medal since they finished third in the tournament.
Without wasting much time, the VfB Stuttgart players followed and received silver medals. They are a sad group, probably still in a bad mood after losing the final just thirty minutes ago. Zachary empathizes with them. He will be in a much worse shape if he loses the final.
"Gentlemen and ladies," Zachary heard one of the commentators announce, the voice coming to him from one of the— loudspeakers that had been installed on the pitch after the game. "Let's welcome the 2012 Riga U-18 Cup Champion. Please raise your hand for the NF Academy from Norway." The voice added, with a thick Spanish accent. It changed dramatically towards the end.
The stadium applauded as NF Academy players marched towards the podium to receive their gold medals. Zachary and his teammates all burst out with excitement and excitement. Their grins extend from ear to ear as they receive a gift from the president of the Riga Cup. The happy atmosphere was in the air. Even Coach Johansen who was always grim beamed like the little girl who met Santa.
Zachary climbed to the final podium and first received a medal before receiving a mock 50,000 Euro cheque from the president.
After that, it is time to—klimaks of the Riga Cup Tournament. It was finally time for the NF Academy captain to receive the championship trophy.
Zachary felt his eyes begin to get wet as he lifted the trophy high above his head with both hands. It was his first tournament win since winning the U-14 tournament in his past. It means a lot to him. It was his first proof that he was on his way to becoming a great football player.
But the victory was not for him alone. He would have been unlikely to emerge victorious had it not been for the contribution of his team-mates. So, he turned around and handed the trophy to Magnus, the assistant captain.
Magnus grinned and skipped around like a child as he lifted the trophy aloft amid booming cheers. He then got off the podium and ran with the trophy to celebrate with other NF Academy players.
"DING"
Zachary was about to follow but then stopped suddenly. The system interface suddenly appeared in front of him after a familiar notification rang out in his head.
Zachary could not resist the temptation to glance at the translucent bluish screen.
****
# 1 new message
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->You have played most of the matches in highly competitive tournaments with prize money at stake. The system has collected enough in-game data to rate your X-factor accordingly. Please click the notification for more details.
****
[Finally.] Zachary thought with a smile. He had been waiting for his factor X stat to change from class F since forever. He was eager to see how his talent would change after taking X-factor into account.
Despite this, he wanted the system interface shut down because he was still standing among the crowd on the podium. He will explore changes to the system interface in his hotel room.