THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary took a sip of the coffee. A fleeting expression of satisfaction showed on his face—and soon, he was smiling broadly. He glanced down at the thick ceramic mug, slightly warm to touch. It had preserved the heat, making the drink perfect in the cold weather.

"So, can you tell me why you wanted to talk to me?" Zachary inquired, locking gazes with Emily Anderson. They sat in a cozy coffee shop, about a kilometer and a half away from the Olimpic Sports Center. The rich deep brown cafe tables and the dark aroma of the served-coffee created a relaxing atmosphere.

Emily Anderson smiled softly. "Didn't I just say that I'm your biggest fan," she said, pouting a bit. She seeped on her coffee before adding: "Honestly, I need your autograph. Let me get a sharpie for you."

Zachary creased his brow as she fished around in her handbag for a few seconds before handing him a permanent marker. "Will you give me an autograph?" She drawled, looking at him pleadingly with her deep, intelligent eyes.

"Is this one of those pranks I always see on reality television shows?" He inquired but took the marker from her outstretched hand. "Where do I sign?" He looked at her skeptically, watching for any signs of whether she was playing a joke on him.

But the next actions of the lady surprised him. She took off her white cashmere scarf and handed it to him. "Make the autograph as large as possible," she said, smiling, her expression emphasizing her beauty. "I would like to hang it on one of my walls when I go back home."

Zachary nodded. He had nothing to lose by signing on the scarf. Moreover, Zachary did not use his legal signature for the autograph. He simply wrote out his two names on it and handed it back to her.

"Thank you," Emily said, admiring the overly-large letters on the scarf. She looked like a famous art critic admiring the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. The emotion in her eyes was fathoms deep—yet they carried the warmth and life of the sunlit surface.

Zachary looked at the lady, wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape, as she folded the scarf carefully, like a piece of art, and shoved it into her handbag. Her actions were getting more bizarre by the second. She had only seen him play in a single match—against Riga. His performance couldn't have been enough to convince her he would become a star in the future. Yet, there she was—asking for his autograph and behaving like an infatuated fan girl.

"Don't look at me like that," Emily intoned as if she could see right into his mind. "I'm sure this cloth will be quite expensive a few years from now." She added, her voice calm and confident.

Zachary smiled. He admitted to himself that giving out an autograph had pleased him to some extent.

He shook his head, taking his focus off the lady. For a few moments, he just wrapped his hands around the ceramic coffee mug before him, letting the warmth flow to his fingers, banishing the wintry chill. He then took several bites off a Crumble Cake and seeped on the coffee. The combination was delicious, especially after all the energy he'd expended during the match with Riga.

"So, Zachary," the lady began. "Do you have an agent?"

"Not at the moment," Zachary replied honestly.

Emily flashed him a smile. "I work for CAA Base Limited—a reputable agency for professional footballers dedicated to shaping the ongoing development and management of their careers. At the agency, we work in teams to support our clients on and off the pitch." She paused, locking gazes with Zachary. "I'm here to recruit you as a client." Her tone was formal.

"Oh," Zachary said, nodding. He'd guessed as much. "Where is your agency based?" He inquired.

The lady had been straightforward with him. He decided to do the same since he knew little about the sports agencies in the world. He needed more information about the organization that wanted to represent him.

A slight smile twisted on her lips. "Our head offices are in London, but we represent players from many parts of the world. We're one of the leading sports agencies in Europe. You could easily check our company profile on the internet. We represent famous players like Ashley Young and Aaron Lennon, among others."

Zachary nodded, leaning back in his chair to lock eyes with the agent. "By the way you speak, I can tell that you work for a good agency. But I can't make the decision right now. I need to first check out the profile of your company before coming to a decision. And, that can only be after the Riga Tournament." He said.

Mr. Stein had told him to seek his advice before making any decisions about sports agencies. Moreover, he'd heard about many cases where young players had been enticed into bogus contracts by unethical agents. Some fake agents would even put up websites and post selfies with famous football people to boost their businesses. Although Emily didn't seem like a fake, he still had to proceed with caution.

Emily crinkled her eyes and bit her lower lip. For a moment, Zachary thought that he saw a trace of disappointment in her bearing. However, it was gone in an instant.

She smiled and took another sip of her coffee before continuing the conversation. "I understand that you've got to be careful while selecting an agent. It's the logical thing to do before agreeing to an agency contract. But, let me remind you that you'll require a team of agents to manage your affairs as soon as possible. Since you're a very talented player, it's inevitable."

She sounded a bit desperate. Nonetheless, Zachary waited for her to continue as he munched on his Crumble Cake. She needed to recruit him, not the other way round. He could afford to be willful, to some extent. That was one way of testing her credibility as a sports agent.

Emily smiled before fishing out a set of papers from her overly-large handbag. "I've decided to come all out because I need you to be my first client," she said, handing him the papers.

Zachary lifted an eyebrow. "First client?" He looked through the papers and noticed that it was her CV. On the first page, he could see her qualifications as a lawyer. She was a recent graduate from the Edinburgh Law School. Moreover, she had a very high CGPA of 3.8 out of 4. Zachary could not help but wonder why she wasn't working at a university instead of trying to be an agent.

"Yes." Emily nodded. "I haven't signed any player yet. As you can see from my CV, I only graduated last year. I'm just an intern at the CAA Base Limited. I need promising clients as soon as possible. Or else my career will be on the line. But don't worry. I'm a hard worker and a quick learner. If you select me as your agent, I'll represent you to the best of my abilities."

"I believe that you'll be getting many contract offers after this tournament," Emily continued. "If I became your agent, I would help you negotiate them to achieve the best possible outcome."

"I would be able to secure the most lucrative endorsement and sponsorship deals with companies like Nike and Sony in the long run. I would also be in charge of organizing your TV, radio, and digital media appearances. I would do my best to help you build a perfect public image while also managing your schedules. You would only need to play football without worrying about anything else."

She sounded like she was searching for a Job. Zachary empathized with her.

"Do you have the drafted contract offer with you?" Zachary inquired after some deliberation.

Emily flashed him a dimply smile. "I'm a lawyer. I always move with contracts." She fished out another set of papers from her handbag and handed them to him.

Zachary quickly scanned through the papers and was surprised by the favorable terms in the contract. "No representation fees until I turn eighteen?" He looked at the brunette with skepticism. That would mean that she would negotiate his first professional salary contract with Rosenborg next December for free.

"You're still a minor," Emily intoned, favoring him with a slight smile. "We are not supposed to take money from you. Our deal only binds you to our agency for the four years after you turn into an adult."

"Oh," Zachary nodded, enlightened. "I guess we should end the negotiations for now. I promise to look through this contract in detail and consult some of my people tonight. If what you say is credible, there will be no harm in working with you. I'll inform you of my decision tomorrow evening." He said firmly, his tone conclusive.

"Thank you," she said, smiling. "That's a relief for me." She fished out another set of papers from her handbag and handed them to Zachary. "That's all the information I've got on the strong teams participating in the Riga tournament. Take it as my gift to you on our first meeting." She added.

Zachary received the papers. He couldn't help but wonder whether her handbag housed a spatial library of documents. "Thanks a lot," he said, smiling. "We'll talk again tomorrow."

**** ****

Zachary headed back to his hotel room after the meeting. He realized that Kasongo had not yet returned from watching the match between Genoa and BK Frem.

Zachary called Mr. Stein right away. He told him about the CAA Base Limited and his conversation with Emily Anderson. Mr. Stein was surprised to hear that the agents from the international company had tried to recruit him. He immediately told Zachary to scan the papers and send the soft copies to him—as soon as possible.

An hour later, he called back. His message: "Sign the contract."