THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-497

Following Juventus' 9:0 thrashing of Parma FC, the entire Juventus club was in a celebratory mood. Be it the coaching staff, the club managers, the fans, the medics, and even the cleaning staff — they were all glowing with radiant smiles on the Monday after the game. Anyone walking around Juventus' facilities at the Vinovo could tell that there was something different and extraordinary about the club due to their enthusiasm and brimming spirits.

"I can't believe we're still unbeaten even after playing eleven Serie A games and four Champions League matches. We're almost about to make history." Coach Allegri's ears picked up a conversation between two ladies dressed as cleaners as he approached his office on Monday afternoon.

"Your information is not right," the other cleaning lady hurriedly reminded. "We're not just unbeaten in all our games. Instead, we've accomplished a perfect run, meaning we haven't lost or drawn a game. As you can see, there's a big difference between an unbeaten and a perfect run."

"Oh, my bad!" The other middle-aged cleaning lady nodded. "That's even more impressive. With Zachary Bemba joining us, our squad has become invincible. I don't think even the current Barcelona or Real Madrid squads can acquire a point from us. If we chanced upon them, we would thrash them by three or four goals to one."

"You're right," the other lady agreed, nodding like a hen pecking grain. "Barcelona has Messi, and Real Madrid has Ronaldo. But we do have Zachary. I'm also of the view that we would defeat them easily."

"Yeah..." The other lady concurred. But just as she was about to continue, she spotted the nearby coach Allegri and let out a little yelp. "Coach! Good afternoon!"

The other lady also reacted and followed suit with a greeting. "Good afternoon, coach!"

Coach Allegri smiled on seeing the reaction of the two ladies. They were standing at attention, like a pair of well-trained soldiers greeting their commander. "Good afternoon to you too, ladies!" He returned their greeting with a smile. "How is your day?"

"Our day is going well," one of the ladies responded. "We're just taking a small break before returning to work."

"Okay, wonderful." Coach Allegri chuckled. "Don't mind me. I'm only passing by. Just carry on with your conversation."

He nodded at them before smiling and continuing on his way. Behind him, he could still hear muffled whispers between the two ladies. But he didn't give any more notice to them and sped up, heading towards his office.

A few minutes later, he entered his office and quickly settled in his chair. He then booted up his laptop and started reviewing the sports news published by reliable media houses.

Slowly but surely, his smile grew more pronounced as he noticed that all the Italian press was praising Juventus' form. Famous newspapers, like the La Gazzetta dello Sport, Tuttosport, and the Gazzetta del Popolo, were all writing about how Juventus was doing wonders. They explained how the team had beaten all opposition since the start of the new season and then rated the Juventus players based on their respective contributions to the team's perfect run.

Zachary Bemba was, of course, the player with the highest rating on Juventus' squad. Based on the fact that he'd already scored ten goals and provided twelve assists in 10 out of 11 Serie A appearances while also netting seven goals (with two hattricks on different occasions) in the Champions League, most newspapers awarded him a record rating of 9.3/10. The newspapers also explained how Zachary was the most creative and efficient player in Juventus, with the ability to bring the best out of his teammates and make them tick.

"Truly remarkable! These articles are right on the money."

Coach Allegri nodded to himself after reading the information about Zachary. He totally agreed with the newspapers since he understood Zachary's capabilities quite well.

After Zachary had settled into the Juventus squad, he didn't just help the team by scoring goals. Instead, he'd utilized his never-say-never attitude and hardworking ethics to induce an over-the-top competitive spirit within the entire squad. As a result, the players, especially the attackers, were more focused than ever, often putting in more hours of training than before. And due to their diligent efforts and yearning to match Zachary's level, they quickly transformed into better versions and began putting on more consistent and remarkable displays during matches.

An example was Carlos Tevez, the Argentine who had already scored nine goals in the Serie A. His edge and brilliance on and off the pitch were exceptional over the previous few games, and in just about eleven games, he had already netted almost half the total number of all his goals from last season.

But he wasn't the only one that had improved after Zachary's arrival. There was also Fernando Llorente with seven goals and Álvaro Morata with five goals. They had turned into goal machines due to two reasons. Firstly, they were working harder than before on and off the pitch. And secondly, they were getting good service from Zachary during matches.

"Having Zachary on the team is really a blessing."

Coach Allegri sighed and returned to reading the news on his laptop. For the next few minutes, he took in all the published information quietly, only frowning, smiling, or shaking his head at times. Then, just as he was about to end his reading session, a new headline that had abruptly manifested on the home page of Tuttosport's website caught his attention.

"Just in," the headline read, "Zachary Bemba, Juventus' 19-year-old wonder boy, nominated for the Golden Boy award."

"Yes! This how it should be." Coach Allegri smiled as his eyes took in the headline. He was obviously not surprised that Zachary was on the 40-man shortlist for the Golden Boy award, an accolade first established by the Italian paper - Tuttosport.

Had he not been on the list, then Coach Allegri would have immediately deduced that the entire voting committee was blind and incompetent.

"Let's see who else is nominated."

Quickly reading the article, Coach Allegri took in more details about the Golden Boy nominations. Aside from Zachary, the other young players nominated included Liverpool's Raheem Sterling, Calum Chambers of Arsenal, Luke Shaw of Manchester United, Everton's John Stones, and Eric Dier of Tottenham. Then, there was Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Bernardeschi Franco (Fiorentina), Kingsley Coman (Juventus), Keita Baldé Diao (Lazio), Mateo Kovacic (Inter), and many others to make up the 40-man shortlist.

However, as far as Coach Allegri was concerned, none of those names could hold a candle to Zachary. The coach believed they were there as decorations on the list to accompany Zachary, the rightful winner of that year's Golden Boy award.

After reading the article, Coach Allegri turned his attention to other issues. He worked on training plans and read scouting reports until evening arrived. Then, just as the sun was about to sink below the western horizon of Turin, he wrapped up everything before exiting the training center and heading to the J Hotel for a team dinner.

The club officials had organized the dinner for two reasons. Firstly, the players would be heading for international duty over the next few days. So, the get-together was a way of sending the players off in good spirits. Secondly, the club management wanted to take advantage of the dinner party and officially recognize the efforts of those players who had gone above and beyond to help Juventus accomplish a perfect run in both the Champions League and the Serie A. In other words, they would utilize the dinner as a ceremony to award Juventus' best-performing players for the first quarter of the season.

**** ****

Meanwhile, Zachary also arrived at the entrance of the J-Hotel's restaurant at around six in the evening. He was obviously not at the place to buy a meal but to attend Juventus' team dinner.

On stepping inside, Zachary's heart skipped a bit. Pausing in his step, he glanced at the immaculately arranged dinner tables before slowly sweeping his gaze across the room to observe his teammates.

"Damn! I'm really underdressed." That was the only thought that appeared in his mind the next moment.

The rest of his teammates, including the often-casually dressed players like Carlos Tevez, Kwadwo Asamoah, and Giorgio Chiellini, had all donned their impressive suits for the dinner party. They all looked sleek and dapper as they moved around, mingling with each other in the restaurant.

But what about Zachary? The man himself had not given his attire much thought since, as a new player, he wasn't aware of the usual dress code for Juventus' team dinners. He just put on a tucked-in white shirt with blue jeans and gentle black shoes before throwing a black leather jacket on top to complete his get-up. He, of course, looked sleek and fashionable since the attire matched his physique. But the only issue was that he had become the odd man out after walking into the dinner party venue.

"Eh, Zachary, you've arrived! Welcome."

A familiar voice sounded behind Zachary as he walked further into the restaurant. Turning around gracefully, not to knock into anyone, he came face to face with Patrice Evra, who was also in a sleek black suit. For the occasion, the Frenchman had gone above and beyond to dress up. His hair was well-combed, his shoes well-polished, and it was as if he was about to receive a Ballon d'Or or attend the Oscars.

"How are you, Patrice?" Zachary greeted him with a smile.

"I'm fine," he replied, giving Zachary a once over. "Zachary, you really look smart. Your outfit is unique, and it adds charm to your entire persona. Keep it up, bro." He ended his compliments with a thumbs-up.

"Quit messing around, Evra!" Zachary reprimanded. "We were together after the match yesterday when the director invited us for a team dinner. Why didn't you remind me that the dress code was a suit?"

Evra chuckled and said, "I'm not your wife. Neither am I your fashion designer. Why should I remind you? But that isn't the main question. Aren't you aware that the dress code for work dinners is always a suit? I thought it was common knowledge."

In response, Zachary sighed and shook his head. "I only thought this was a small dinner with the main theme of eating. That's why I didn't bother to dress formally."

"Then, sorry to you, my friend," Evra said, patting Zachary's shoulder. "But worry not! No one around will hold your poor choice of fashion against you. Come; let's find where to sit."

Zachary smiled ruefully before following Evra to one of the tables. He'd already accepted his fate of standing out as the 'odd man out' at the dinner party since he could not just up and depart to change attires.