The Greatest of All Time

Chapter 24 - First Match In Europe V

The cheers erupted like an auditory volcano in Lerkendal Stadium.

It was all quiet one second and then deafening after Mushaga scored the goal.

Mushaga didn't celebrate alone but ran up to Zachary, pulled him in a bear hug, and said: "That was a hell of a sprint. Thank you."

Before Zachary could reply, the other Rosenborg players came jumping on them and embracing them to celebrate the goal.

Zachary's lips curled into a smile as he tried to suppress his still bubbly emotions. It was all coming back to him at that moment. His crazy run through the midfield had led to an equalizer. He wasn't even sure how he managed to dribble past the four Viking players.

"Zachary, Ole. Come here." Zachary heard Coach Johansen yelling from the sidelines.

Zachary wasn't worried that the coach would query him for previously leaving his position. Scoring and winning games mattered the most to coaches. They would support players who could spot the gaps in between the opponent's formation and exploit them. Zachary had done just that.

And indeed, the coach had called them to receive more instructions on how to win the game. He didn't even reflect on the goal but started giving them new instructions.

"You two will form a triangle with Asen in the midfield. In the remaining seven minutes, I want you to press them hard and get another goal. Understood?"

"Yes, coach," the two boys replied.

"And Zachary. Do not try to dribble through the midfield once again. The Viking players will mark you tightly for the rest of the game. Use short passes instead."

Zachary nodded to indicate his assent. He chugged down some water before returning back to the pitch.

The Rosenborg under-19s were on fire after the game restarted.

Zachary followed Coach Johansen's instructions and used only short passes instead of dribbling.

Together with Ole and Asen, they formed a triangular midfield that dominated the ball possession. Zachary was much more involved in the passing and attacking than in the first half.

His only task was to receive passes from Ole, the defensive midfielder, and supply them to the one striker and the two wingers. The Viking midfielders couldn't keep him in check.

Zachary had managed to deliver several good through passes to the three forwards, but they still failed to score.

**** ****

"As you said, the boy has a good game reading," Coach Eggen observed.

"Yes, he does," Mr. Stein replied, smiling. "Do you think we can fix him into the current under-19 squad?" He asked.

"How old is he?"

"His 16th birthday is on the 3rd of December."

"Martin." Mr. Eggen frowned. "He is still too young. We can't bring him into the club yet."

"But..."

"Martin, no buts." Coach Eggen interrupted the scout.

"While you were missing in action, FIFA introduced a new regulation. It prohibits international transfers involving underage players starting this year."

"Do those FIFA rules really matter? Clubs like Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in Spain have already signed young talents from all over the world this year."

"This time, they're serious about enforcing the regulations. If we don't comply and sign a minor, who's a foreigner, we'll be risking a transfer ban that could last a couple of seasons."