THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-586

The following day was a Wednesday. It was also an off day for the Juventus players, who had just won the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final battle against Borussia Dortmund by a whooping score of 6:1.

With that in mind, Zachary slept until late and only woke up long after sunrise at around 11:00 AM. He quickly went through his morning routine, including his yoga exercises, cleaning up, having breakfast, and chatting with Coach Bjørn Peters. Then, as the clock hands around Turin were about to point to the midday mark, he donned some of his better garments, including jeans, a T-shirt, and white sneakers, before heading out of the house towards his parked Audi RS7.

"Good afternoon, boss!" Lorenzo Riccardo, his bodyguard, greeted him as he approached. As usual, the buff guy was sporting an all-black attire, including a black suit, a long-sleeved T-shirt, shoes of the same color, and dark shades. He just looked suave and imposing as he stood there beside the vehicle.

"Good afternoon, Lorenzo," Zachary returned the guy's greeting with a smile. "You're smart again. You almost look like someone heading to a wedding reception."

"Thanks for the compliment, boss." Lorenzo grinned. He then gave Zachary a once over and said, "You're also smart in your own way, boss."

Zachary's lips twitched at the corners on hearing the compliment. He looked at his loose-fitting T-shirt paired with the faded black jeans and shook his head. "Let's head out," he said, not wishing to linger on discussing fashion. "It's my off day today. I wish to spend some time visiting museums and other relaxing places today."

"Oh, okay," Lorenzo agreed. "Where are we heading to first, boss?"

"Let's start with the Armeria Reale, the Royal Armory of Turin," Zachary replied. "After touring the place, we'll plan from there and see where to go next."

"Okay, boss," Lorenzo naturally agreed.

The bodyguard took the steering wheel after Zachary settled in the back seat. He started the vehicle, and they soon set off and exited the mansion's gates.

An hour later, they arrived at the Armeria Reale, where Zachary spent another hour admiring art pieces, real cold weapons, and statues of knights from the past era. He had a great and relaxing time at the museum, with the only nuisances being some fans who were constantly interrupting him to ask for autographs or selfies with him.

At around two in the afternoon, he found a random cafe and enjoyed lunch with his bodyguard. But just as he finished eating and was about to leave the place and head to the next museum, more fans approached him and started asking the usual.

Zachary chose to remain accommodating since he was a public figure. He signed as many autographs as possible and posed for a few pics with the zealous fans. He only excused himself about an hour later with the help of the robust Lorenzo before getting into his vehicle.

They set off for the Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile, the next museum on their tour schedule. Zachary had already learned his lesson and done his best to conceal his face with a large hat and tinted glasses by the time they arrived. He didn't attract much attention and was at peace as he took his time to enjoy the collection of cars on display in the museum.

After another hour, Zachary left the automobile museum with a big smile. He felt content after seeing many classic Italian cars, like the Bernardi from 1896, the Fiat from 1899, the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost from 1914, and the old racing cars by Ferrari and Alfa Romeo.

By then, the sun was already descending towards the west of Turin, and the clock hand on his watch was about to point to the 5:30 PM mark. After considering how the museums could close soon, he decided not to continue his tour. Instead, he instructed Lorenzo to drive him back to his mansion, where he spent most of the evening refining his skills in the system's GOAT Skills Simulator.

His evening hours passed quickly, and he soon enjoyed a sumptuous dinner prepared by Inger, his chef. He felt even more relaxed after enjoying the meal and glanced at his watch.

It was 8:20 PM, and the other UEFA Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and Bayern Munich would commence in twenty-five minutes.

Zachary hurried upstairs to his bedroom's comfy bathroom to shower. He finished cleaning up in only fifteen minutes before returning to the living room downstairs to catch the semi-final on his big screen.

Coach Bjørn Peters, the fitness coach who lived in the mansion, had already settled in one of the cozy sofas before the screen. Beside him was Inger, his wife, who also happened to be Zachary's live-in chef. On noticing Zachary enter, smiles lit up the couple's faces as they welcomed him with favor.

Zachary settled on another sofa and cracked jokes with them as he waited for the semi-final between Barcelona and Bayern Munich to commence. But since only five minutes remained before the big moment, he diverted some of his attention to check out the line-ups of the two teams on the screen.

He immediately saw all the famous names, including Lionel Messi, Neymar, Luis Suárez, Andrés Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Gerard Piqué, Javier Mascherano, and Dani Alves, on Barcelona's starting line-up.

He then noticed that Bayern Munich had similarly put forward a strong line-up. He could see names like Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Müller, Juan Bernat, Xabi Alonso, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Thiago Alcántara, Jérôme Boateng, Medhi Benatia, Rafinha, and Manuel Neuer on their starting list of players.

After displaying the line-ups, the view on the screen changed to show the technical areas of the two teams. Zachary first noticed some of the notable personalities sitting on Barcelona's bench, including Pedro, Xavi, and the equally famous Luis Enrique - the coach of Barcelona. As for Bayern, there were substitutes like Mario Götze, Dante, Javi Martínez, and the renowned Coach Pep Guardiola, Bayern's manager.

"These two are all tough teams," Coach Bjørn Peters commented after seeing the players take their positions on the playing field. "Which among them would you prefer to meet in the finals?"

"Why are you asking him about the finals when he hasn't played the second leg?" Inger interrupted before Zachary could reply.

Coach Bjørn Peters scoffed at his wife. "Juventus won the first leg by a score of 6:1 yesterday. Could you also be like Jürgen Klopp, who believes that Dortmund still has a chance to overturn the result during the second leg?"

Inger scoffed back. "What do you know? I'm just looking out for Zachary. I don't wish us to pressure him with unnecessary considerations when he still has to play many more matches before playing the final."

"Do you think he's that delicate?" Coach Bjørn Peters said and turned away from his wife. He faced Zachary and asked again, "Do you prefer to meet Barcelona or Bayern Munich in the finals?"

Zachary was a bit amused after witnessing the couple's bantering. He smiled and replied, "As you said, both are tough teams with strong line-ups and equally brilliant managers. I'm okay with meeting any of the two."

"That's a good mindset," Coach Bjørn Peters agreed. "Finals are always something else, where even a weaker team can overpower a giant of Europe. So, it doesn't matter whether you meet Bayern or Barcelona. Instead, what is crucial is that you make do with the time available to make your best preparation for the final. When the day comes, do your best to win and leave everything else to a higher power."

"Indeed." Zachary nodded and focused his gaze on the screen. For the next ninety-plus minutes, he watched Barcelona display a brilliant performance to thrash Bayern by a score of 3:0 in the first leg of the other UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

The game started at a blazing tempo, with the Barcelona players begging for a penalty just minutes into the match after Jerome Boateng barged into Luis Suarez inside the box. The referee was unmoved. However, the fast start was a clear indication Barcelona meant business.

The hosts built on that momentum and soon overwhelmed the Munich-based team. Tiki-taka became the order of the night, and the incredible Lionel Messi quickly scored a brace inside the first 30 minutes to give Barcelona a deserved 2:0 lead during the first half.

Of course, the Bayern Munich players also had their moments, especially when some great work from Thomas Muller left Lewandowski unguarded within the box during the 36th minute. But the Polish international's header missed the mark, and the score remained 2:0 in favor of Barcelona.

The Bayern Munich players then fell back and defended while pushing for opportunities on the counterattack. But their defensive tenacity couldn't match Barcelona's attacking intensity, which had increased to an unbelievable level after halftime.

The Barcelona players played fine and fluid passing football to break through Bayern's Munich ranks many times. They even created several clear chances on goal. But they 'simply' couldn't put the ball past Neuer, who once again showed why he was among the nominees for the previous year's Ballon d'Or.

The score remained 2:0 in favor of Barcelona until injury time when the Bayern players tried to launch an offensive of their own but messed up terribly.

Things got worse for the Bavarians as Lionel Messi collected a loose pass after the failed attack before initiating a counterattack towards the other side of the pitch.

Lionel Messi dribbled past a few players before playing a forward pass to launch Neymar on a straight path towards the goal. The latter remained composed and rounded Neuer, the on-form Bayern keeper, before putting the ball into the back of the net to score Barcelona's third and final goal on the night.

Zachary sighed as he watched the referee blow the final whistle after five minutes of injury time. He could guess that Juventus would likely face Barcelona in the finals of the UEFA Champions League since the Catalans already had a three-goal advantage before playing the second leg. So, he had to start working hard with the rest of his teammates to prepare for the game.