THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-565

Zachary and his teammates took many interviews from reporters that night before leaving the Ennio Tardini Stadium. They then had dinner in one of the restaurants in Parma and checked into a local hotel, where they would spend the night.

Zachary was exhausted after playing fifty minutes of intensive top-flight football. He excused himself from the rest of his teammates and headed to his hotel room for the night. He then took another shower and dried himself before settling on his bed and switching on his phone for the first time that night.

Right then, notices of incoming messages from various apps on his phone started flashing on the screen. Zachary could see hundreds of WhatsApp and Facebook messages and dozens of notifications from his phone's default SMS app. There were even about ten missed call alerts that blinked on his smartphone after he switched it on.

Zachary was alarmed, wondering why he had suddenly received all those notifications. Not many people in the world had his private contact info. Usually, he would receive around two or three messages from Emily, his agent, or Kristin, his publicity secretary, during the day. And if something important came up within the team, he might receive a few more messages and calls from his teammates and coaches on his private number.

However, that day was weird, and he received hundreds of notifications on his private line. What was going on?

Zachary swallowed hard. He subconsciously started going through the notifications, especially those on his phone's default messaging app. Then, just as abruptly, a soft smile lit up his face as he realized that all were congratulatory messages from his acquaintances.

"To my most valuable client and dear friend," the first message he saw read, "Congrats on winning your first Scudetto with Juventus. It's a well-deserved victory! Your hard work, dedication, and passion for football have all paid off. You should be very proud of yourself and continue trying your best. With your talent, I believe the sky is the limit, and this is just the start of your journey to winning many more accolades. Your Agent and Friend, Emily."

"Heartiest congratulations on your team winning the Serie A title with eight games to go this season," this second message was from Kristin, Zachary's publicity secretary and personal assistant. "I believe your contribution has been a critical factor in your team's winning of the league this early. Continue striving forward, and you'll achieve even greater things."

"To the Italian champions, and to the best player on the champions' team," this message was from Paul Kasongo, his former teammate and friend. "Your teamwork, sportsmanship, and tenacity are an inspiration to me. Congratulations on achieving big things this young, my friend..."

Many more messages had come in through different platforms, including his private WhatsApp number, Instagram, and Facebook accounts. Most of his acquaintances, whether in Norway or Italy, Coach Damata in DRC, his biological mom, his former teammates from Rosenborg, his new teammates from the Ivory Coast's national team, the old scout - Mr. Stein, Coach Johnsen, and even Camilla, all sent him congratulatory messages that night.

Zachary read through them quickly and felt how good it was to receive appreciation from people he knew. He worked with urgency and replied some messages, like the one from Emily and Kristin.

After sending the responses, he switched off the light and entered in between the sheets for the night. He let his mind wander, recalling all the crucial moments from the match against Parma before eventually sinking into a dreamless and peaceful slumber.

The following morning, at ten, Zachary sat in Juventus' team bus, which was fast approaching the city of Turin. He was idly chatting about popular sports news in Italy and sometimes bantering with a few of his teammates.

Occasionally, he would also gaze beyond the window to take in the passing scenery as the bus sped forward. He was just like a traveler returning home after a relaxing adventure.

A few more minutes passed, and the bus eventually entered Turin City. More vehicles and pedestrians started appearing on the road. Just then, an S-class black Mercedes-Benz sped up from behind and caught up with the team bus. It then started honking repeatedly as its window glass lowered. A male driver pushed his head out and yelled excitedly, "Juventus, Ole! Juventus Ole! Siamo I Campioni." The man then hollered a few more words and waved at the bus before stepping on the accelerator and speeding off.

"This..." Zachary was stunned as he glanced at the fast-fading black Mercedes-Benz. But before he could ask his teammates about what had just happened, more drivers speeding past the Juventus bus repeated the same act and continued yelling excitedly. Some were screaming catchphrases like "We're Juventus! We're Unbeatable! We're Unbwogable! We're Champions from Turin!" Then they would shout a congratulatory message at the bus before speeding off and disappearing into the distance.

But that was not the last of Zachary's surprise. That was because he soon got to experience how crazy enthusiastic Italian football fans could be as the bus turned towards the road heading to the Vinovo, Juventus' training center.

At that point, the Juventus bus was no longer moving alone on the streets. Instead, it had already attracted a convoy of honking cars, dozens of motorbikes, and hundreds of fans wearing Juventus' official colors.

The supporters, who were not in vehicles, all crowded around the bus. They continued waving black and white flags while yelling to vent their excitement. Not even the police could contain them as they tried to welcome their heroes, the Juventus players, who had just won the Serie A trophy with eight games to go.

In the meantime, some of the Juventus players who were already used to such scenes pushed their heads out of the windows and waved at the fans. A few, like Claudio Marchisio and Leonardo Bonucci, even started singing Juventus' victory slogans along with supporters. The fans, in turn, responded with more favor and became crazier. They shouted the players' names while jogging along with the bus on the street.

In that manner, the boisterous celebrations continued. The bus moved forward at a not-so-fast pace and eventually arrived at the Vinovo, where even more fans were waiting. The players exited the bus before waving to the crowd and signing a few autographs. After that, they entered the Vinovo, where they took more interviews from waiting reporters and celebrated their early league victory with the board and management. They were really having a wonderful and busy time after winning the Serie A title.

In the meantime, Emilia Vasquez's Sunday morning sports show had just commenced on ESPN. She first allowed the studio crew to broadcast the boisterous scenes of the Juventus players, the Serie A champions, arriving at the Vinovo. Then, when the clip ended, she smiled at the cameras and said, "Our dear viewers! Those were the Juventus players returning to their training ground after beating Parma by a score of 2:1 and winning the Serie A title yesternight. As you have just seen, they were welcomed by hundreds of Juventus fans waiting along the streets leading to the Vinovo."

"But enough about all that," she continued. "We're not here to discuss Juventus's celebrations after winning the Serie A trophy. Instead, we're here to review the upcoming UEFA Champions League quarter-finals scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday nights. With me in the studio are three gentlemen, namely Alessandro Costacurta, Joshua Morales, and Charles Adams. They are our pundits today, who will help us analyze the quarter-final fixtures. But before we dive into all the excitement, let's look at the quarter-final fixtures."

As her voice sounded, the technicians in the studio worked their magic. The screens around the place shimmered before showing the upcoming UEFA Champions League quarter-final fixtures.

Quarter-Finals 1st leg

To be played on Tuesday, April 14, 2015, at 8:45 PM

->Borussia Dortmund Vs. AS Monaco

->Juventus FC Vs. Real Madrid

To be played on Wednesday, April 15, 2015, at 8:45 PM

->Paris Saint-Germain Vs. FC Barcelona

->FC Porto Vs. FC Bayern Munich

"Gentlemen," Emilia Vasquez spoke while the fixtures were still showing on the screens. "Let's start with Tuesday's fixture between Juventus and Real Madrid. The last time Juventus met Real Madrid in the Champions League knockout stages was a decade ago when the Old Lady overturned an away defeat to progress into the quarter-finals with a 2-1 aggregate win. They'll be looking to repeat the feat this year, only this tie has much more riding on it. A victory would ensure Juventus' progress to the semis, keeping their hopes of winning a treble or four trophies this season alive. What are your thoughts on this game?"

"Well, well, well!" Alessandro Costacurta said with a soft chuckle. "This is quite a difficult one to analyze."

The others in the studio laughed at that.

Alessandro Costacurta shook his head and continued, "Juventus has some of the greatest players in the world at that moment. There's Zachary Bemba, who nowadays plays football like an alien. There's also Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, Kingsley Coman, Claudio Marchisio, Arturo Vidal, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Evra, Buffon, and Fernando Llorente."

"On the other hand, Real Madrid, of course, has the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo. His prestige precedes him, and we don't have to introduce him to the viewers." The pundit laughed. "Real also has Gareth Bale, Isco, Toni Kroos, Modric, Sergio Ramos, James Rodríguez, Marcelo, Pepe, Varane, Carvajal, and Casillas."

"Looking at these two teams, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Real Madrid are the reigning UEFA Champions League champions. They have the confidence of champions and plenty of attacking star quality in their squad. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo, Gareth Bale, Isco, and James Rodríguez are all dangerous when on the offensive. Their speed, individual brilliance, and tactical prowess allow them to flash forward and catch the opponent off guard within seconds. If Juventus players are not careful, they may suffer on the counter because of those few attacking players."

"Moving on to Juventus," Alessandro Costacurta continued. "I believe they are a more solid and stronger team in midfield. Players like Zachary Bemba, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, and Claudio Marchisio are all brilliant midfielders who can decide the game within seconds. If the opponent loses concentration for even a moment, an abrupt long-range defense-splitting pass from Pirlo or a sudden breakthrough run by Zachary will seal the deal. This is the prowess of Juventus."

"However, I believe that Juventus are still a bit lacking on the offensive front. Yes, they have forwards like Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez, who have scored a lot this season. But in my book, these two are still not at a level that can pose much of a threat to the seasoned Real Madrid defense. This is where the problem might occur for Juventus. They might dominate the game. However, even after hoarding all the possession, they might fail to score and seal the game. And if you fail to score against a team like Real Madrid, what follows is obvious."

"Hmm!" Joshua Morales, the other pundit, harrumphed. "Alessandro! Forgive me. But I'll have to disagree with your analysis."