THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Wednesday, May 8, 2013.

**** ****

Zachary glanced at his watch and realized it was already 8:30 AM. So, he made quick work of his breakfast, brushed his teeth, and exited his apartment with all the haste he could muster. The previous night, Emily, his agent, had informed him over the phone that two companies were interested in entering endorsement contracts with him. He was on his way to meet with her and discuss the way forward.

However, he'd just realized he was almost running late since he had first taken the time to go through a stretching routine.

Despite his excitement over the prospect of winning an endorsement deal, his football career was still his priority. He needed to keep his muscles warm and ready for the game later that evening. He couldn't break his pre-match conditioning routine just for an appointment. So, he had only managed to leave his apartment with only thirty minutes left to the scheduled time of the meeting.

He descended the stairs of his apartment like the wind—and was out into the city's fresh air in a matter of seconds. He noticed that the just-risen sun, shining softly on the streets, had already brought with it a flurry of early-morning activity to Trondheim. Traffic was busy that morning as if the roads were a playset that came with many automobiles and pedestrians.

Zachary didn't continue to the bus stop, as usual. Instead, he stopped by the roadside, waiting for his taxi to arrive.

He had already called the taxi service before leaving his apartment. He couldn't wait for the bus since he was already running late.

He didn't have to wait long since the taxi companies in Norway were very efficient. Only two minutes later, a black Audi pulled up beside him. Without any delay, he boarded and paid the fee. A while later, he was on his way to Trondheim Square—to meet up with Emily.

The taxi driver used several shortcuts, evading the streets with bustling traffic that morning. Zachary managed to reach his destination in only twenty-five minutes. He strengthened his resolve to buy a car as soon as possible after experiencing the convenience of a private vehicle in Trondheim firsthand. He had long started feeling that using the bus was troublesome due to his busy schedule.

When he got out of the taxi, he hurried on, pushing past the other pedestrians on the streets. He was—headed to the cafe, where he was supposed to meet Emily. After rounding a few corners, he ascended some stairs and reached his destination on the second floor of a mall near Trondheim Square.

"You're late" was the first sentence that came out of Emily's mouth as Zachary settled into a seat opposite her.

"But, only a few minutes," Zachary replied, smiling sheepishly. "I forgot about the passage of time when I was going through my stretching routine. It usually happens to me when I'm focused on exercise. Sorry about that."

"No worries," Emily replied, her expression softening a little. "But it wouldn't look good if we were meeting a company representative and you arrived late. Do take note of that in the future." Her intelligent blue eyes searched Zachary's face, waiting for a response.

"I'll do that," Zachary replied solemnly, leaning back into his seat. He felt his emotions calm down as the homey ambiance of the cafe drew his soul into its cocoon for a few blessed moments. He smiled at Emily and said: "Good morning! How was your journey, by the way?"

"I'm good, and the journey was as fine as it could be," Emily said in a flat voice.

"About the endorsement offers: you said there are two companies that would like to enter endorsement deals with me!" He said, getting straight to the point of the meeting. He wanted to be done with the endorsement deal business as fast as possible—so that he could head to Lerkendal to continue his pre-match conditioning.

"Yes, that's right," Emily replied, sipping on her coffee. "But first, would you like to order anything. I'll be buying today."

"Just orange juice will do," Zachary replied, grinning. "I already had a heavy breakfast back at my apartment. I don't want to perform poorly this evening just because I failed to regulate my food consumption. Imagine missing a match due to heartburn or a bloated stomach. That would be embarrassing."

Emily chuckled at that. "Okay, then," she said, beaming. "Let's get you some orange juice then." She then called over a waitress and made the order before focusing on Zachary once again.

"We have two offers," she began, her voice taking on a formal tone. "It seems your performance last weekend caused quite a stir in Norway. It seems you managed to raise your fan base, especially here in Trondheim. That should be the reason some companies here are intent on getting your signature and betting on your future. But don't expect a lot since you've only just started playing."

Zachary nodded, indicating that he'd gotten the point as he waited for his agent to continue.

"One of the offers is from Red Bull, the company with the highest market share of any energy drink in the world today," Emily continued. "They're offering 300,000 NOK per year, for five years, to get your signature as one of the athletes on their endorsement marketing roster for Norway. The money seems small, but they promised that they would improve the terms if you continue performing well in the Tippeligaen."

"Three hundred thousand," Zachary mumbled, frowning on hearing Red Bull's offer. "That's 25,000 per month. Isn't that offer insincere?"

He knew well that some of the biggest sporting stars earned the majority of their money without having to kick, bounce or throw a ball at all. That all came down to one magical word. Endorsements. Athletes could even receive tens of millions of dollars per year from endorsement contracts alone. Even the not-so-popular athletes had deals worth tens of thousands of dollars from the popular brands in their respective countries. Yet, Red Bull, the world's largest energy drink supplier, had made him an offer in Kroners, not even dollars or Euros. Zachary knew that they were not committed to securing his signature.

"Yes, the annual pay they're offering is quite dismal," Emily replied, nodding. "But there are good points to the deal. For instance, if you manage to become the top scorer in the Tippeligaen within the years under contract, the money you receive will multiply sixfold. And, in case you manage to become the best player in the Tippeligaen, the money would be multiplied twelve times. There are even more provisions for further achievements. But, I don't think those are important at the moment."

"So, it's a good deal, then?" Zachary queried, inclining his head to lock eyes with Emily.

"According to me, it's a good deal in the long run. What Red Bull is betting on is your potential to become popular. They hope to ride that wave to increase their energy drink sales here in Norway. If you work well with them, they could turn into long-term partners."

"Would you like to read through their offer now?" Emily inquired after seeing Zachary's hesitation.

"Not now," Zachary said, shaking his head. "I don't want to add too much into my head right now. I have to play a game later today. What about the other offer?"

"Oh," Emily said, sighing. "The other offer is kind of weird. It is from a betting company called BetNet International. They serve most of Europe—including England, Italy, Cyprus, and Austria. They are now expanding into Scandinavia." She paused for a few moments as the waitress had finally brought Zachary's juice.

Zachary mouthed a thank you to the waitress as he picked up his juice. He then sipped on it as he waited eagerly for his agent to continue.

"They are offering 6 million Kroner per year as the start-up salary for you to become their ambassador," she said after the waitress was out of earshot. "I don't know the reason, but my lawyer instincts are warning me not to consider the offer."

"Oh," Zachary said, raising a brow. "Why is that? They seem to be more serious than the Red Bull people."