THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

The morning sunlight streamed golden through the window in a well-mannered announcement of the already-risen sun. Groaning slightly, Zachary woke up with a start and glanced at the clock on the opposite wall.

"It's already ten," he mumbled, coming to a realization that he'd already slept for close to eight hours. Without any dilly-dallying, he jumped out of bed, washed his face, and changed into his exercising gear. Then, after stretching slightly, he started his morning yoga practice, hoping to quicken his post-match recovery.

As he went from pose to pose, memories from last night's game manifested within his mind. He smiled as he recalled how he'd gone all out to perform incredibly well and score yet another hat trick. As a result, he'd taken his Serie A goal tally to sixteen, thus surpassing the 13 goals of Luca Toni (from Hellas Verona) and the 14 goals of Mauro Icardi (from Inter) to become the top goal scorer of the season so far.

"Coming to Italy was sure a good decision," Zachary mumbled as he thought about what he'd already achieved within a few months after joining Juventus.

Aside from solidifying his position on Juventus' starting line-up, he had also become the top scorer for two competitions, including the Champions League and the Serie A, right before the half-season mark. His performances for Juventus were ever spectacular, and he was already among the favorites to win the golden boots and take home the MVP awards for the two competitions.

Zachary was, of course, not so arrogant to assume that he would have easily achieved such outstanding feats in other teams or leagues except Juventus and the Italian League. For instance, had he chosen to go to the Premier League and join Tottenham, he might still be struggling to reach the five-goal mark even halfway through the season. That was because he would have lacked the necessary conditions to succeed at such a club and league.

First and foremost, there was the lack of world-class players like Andrea Pirlo to support him at Tottenham. That being the case, he would lack the competitive pressure to help develop his skills at the club level while also losing the option of gaining highly-skilled teammates to support his goal-scoring form and help him win league games. What would have followed would have been him losing his football instincts and slowly regressing to a mediocre player, even with the system as support. That was how bad one wrong move could be to a professional football player.

Secondly, there was an aspect of the English game being highly competitive and physical. Zachary felt he was not ready yet to take on such a challenge.

He figured that he wouldn't have been able to maintain his incredible performances and consistency in the English premiership. As such, he had readily agreed to join Juventus, hoping to refine his skills in the Italian League before considering the notion of joining an English side.

"Phew"

Letting out a breath, Zachary continued going through his yoga practice. He trained for the next twenty minutes while gradually increasing the difficulty of the poses until he felt all his stiff muscles relaxing. He then performed a few simple stretches to further loosen his muscles before heading to the bathroom for a shower.

Ten minutes later, he stepped out of the bathroom feeling refreshed. He quickly donned a brand-new tracksuit and stepped into his trendy sneakers while looking forward to the day that had just commenced.

Coach Allegri had given the entire team a day off after Juventus' win against Cagliari the previous night. That meant that all the other Juventus players would be spending time at their homes to relax and recover from post-match fatigue. They wouldn't have any responsibilities to take up their time until the afternoon of the following day when Juventus' team training would recommence.

However, for Zachary, it was a different story. He had to attend the Golden Boy award ceremony later that evening. As such, he couldn't relax until he worked on his hair and finished purchasing a presentable suit for the ceremony.

For any other person, buying fashionable clothes wouldn't have been a daunting task. But for Zachary, it was the opposite. Firstly, he was used to donning free tracksuits from Nike for seven days straight and had zero experience purchasing a suit in Turin. Secondly, he couldn't go window shopping from street to street looking for what he needed as he feared the passionate football fans who would readily swarm him for autographs if they ever caught a whiff of him.

"I better call Kristin to help me out," Zachary thought and immediately picked up his phone. Settling down on his bed, he dialed her number and waited patiently for the call to connect.

"Hello, Zachary. It's a wonderful surprise to receive your call today morning." Kristin's voice sounded from the other side of the line within seconds. She was as bubbly as ever.

"Hello, Kristin," Zachary replied and then exchanged small talk with her for the next minute. Then, when he judged that the timing was right, he switched gears and went straight to the point.

"Kristin," he said abruptly. "Do you have some free time today?"

There were a few seconds of silence at the other end of the line before Kristin's voice sounded again. "I have a class from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. But I will be free in the afternoon. Do you need me for anything?"

"Yeah," Zachary said. "As you know, I'm one of this year's Golden Boy award nominees. The ceremony is today, and I need your help buying a suit. You don't have to do much but guide me to shops where I can get one."

"Oh," Kristin said, sounding a bit surprised. "That's easy. I know several shops in Turin that sell good suits. Let's meet at 2:00 PM, and I'll take you to one."

"Great," Zachary said. "Where should we meet?"

"Let's meet at the Vinovo," she replied. "I'll be at the gates by two in the afternoon."

"Perfect. Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome," she said. "See you at two."

"Okay, see you then," Zachary replied before ending the call.

-----

As scheduled, Zachary met up with Kristin at the gates of the Vinovo at 2:00 PM. She was as beautiful and shapely as ever, even in her winter get-up that covered most of her frame. She smiled naturally, exposing her perfect teeth, as she sat beside Zachary in the back seat of Angelo's Citroen.

After greeting Zachary, she turned towards Angelo, Zachary's driver sitting behind the steering wheel. "Hello, Mr. Angelo," she greeted. "How's your afternoon?"

"My afternoon is fine," Angelo replied before asking, "Zachary tells me that you'll be helping him buy a suit. Which one is our first stop?"

Kristin thought before saying, "Let's head to the Armani store at Centro Commerciale Lagrange first. We should be able to get what we need there."

"Okay," Angelo agreed. "Let's go."

And with that said, Angelo started up the engine, and they set off toward the Armani store at Centro Commerciale Lagrange. They arrived roughly thirty minutes later, and Zachary instructed Angelo to park the car nearby. As for him, he put on his large hat and shades to conceal his identity before alighting from the vehicle and entering the store with Kristin.

After entering the store, Zachary removed his shades, allowing the customers and shop attendants to recognize him. Their eyes lit up, and they couldn't help but steal a couple more glances at him.

Fortunately for Zachary, people in the shop maintained their distance and didn't approach him for autographs. His tense mood relaxed as it seemed he wouldn't have to worry about football fans swarming him while enjoying his shopping.

"This is the benefit of shopping here," Kristin whispered in Norwegian from beside him. "Customers and attendants are already used to seeing celebrities like football stars, professional athletes, and musicians who usually shop here. Additionally, there are rules prohibiting the harassment of celebrity customers while in the shop. As such, no one will bug you for autographs while in the shop."

"That's great," Zachary said, glancing around the shop. His eyes took in all the trendy suits and other pieces of fancy wear around the store. They were all carefully and meticulously organized around the place to arouse the desires of the customers entering the shop.

"Hello, esteemed customers," a shop attendant approached them as they were still taking in the sights. She was a beautiful girl in a black formal lady's suit with a round face adorned by a pair of slim spectacles. "Welcome to Armani! It's our honor to host you today. How may I be of service to you today?"

Kristin smiled at the girl and responded, "We need a good suit for him." She pointed at Zachary. "We need it ASAP. He has to put it on for a ceremony today evening."

"Oh!" The girl said, giving Zachary's tall frame a once over. "Roughly 6'4 to 6'5 feet and a toned physique. We may have some fine pieces that may suit your taste. Do you wish to see them?"

"Of course," both Zachary and Kristin replied in unison.

"Excellent! Follow me." The girl said with a smile before whirling around to lead the way.

Zachary and Kristin followed her, and after a few minutes, they arrived at the far end of the shop. There they saw many suits in different styles and colors under her guidance.

Zachary tried them on one by one before selecting a Soho Line single-breasted tuxedo priced at 4,000 Euros as his preferred attire for the award ceremony in the evening. But he didn't stop at that. He also selected four other suits as emergency wear for future dinner parties before paying for them and exiting the shop with Kristin.

After buying the suit, the next item on his agenda was to have his hair worked on. He didn't wish to look like a thug with a scruffy hairstyle while attending the Golden Boy award ceremony in the evening. So, he once again turned to Kristin for advice.

Kristin was like an encyclopedia for fashion stores around Turin. On hearing Zachary's plight, she quickly directed Angelo to drive him to a high-profile saloon located somewhere on the outskirts of Turin.

On reaching there, the hairstylists worked quickly, and in just two hours, Zachary emerged from the saloon, sporting a cool braided and tapered Nipsey-4 hairstyle. His beard and sideburns were also neatly trimmed to highlight his prominent cheekbones and sharp look. He was so suave as he walked out of the saloon.

Smiling slightly, he relaxed as he finally finished preparing for his first award ceremony in his professional football career. He was only remaining with the task of donning his new Armani suit before heading to the Golden Boy award ceremony venue.