THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Chapter 599: Serie A Trophy Presentation

The cheers around the Juventus Stadium continued increasing in volume as the trophy presentation drew closer with the passing of every second.

Talk about a festive carnival: that was what was transpiring in this famous football ground in Turin, with all the home fans yelling and singing at the top of their lungs without a care for anything else in the world. Their faces were depictions of heartful delights with all their smiles and the joyful atmosphere around them as they waited for their team to receive their rightful Serie A title.

In the meantime, the organizers had already set up everything necessary for the trophy presentation on the pitch. The podium was already in place, and the individuals to present the accolades had already taken their positions. The Juventus players, on their part, had already crowded a few meters from the podium while basking in the glory and joy of lifting yet another trophy.

Just then, the mellifluous voice of the ceremony commentator sounded, "Ladies and Gentlemen! The faithful of the Old Lady! The unwavering fans of the great Juventus! Let me take this opportunity to present the first player to ascend the podium to receive a medal. He is none other than our dearest and most brilliant attacking midfielder, the nightmare of opponents, and the one whose talent knows no bounds - Zachary Bemba."

"He has already scored 35 Serie A goals this season and is already ahead of the second-ranked top-scorer of the tournament by 13 goals. So, the Serie A management and other stakeholders have unanimously agreed to hand him the Player-of-the-Season Accolade with the Serie A Golden Boot tonight, even before the last match day."

"The faithful of the Old Lady! Let's put our hands together for this young footballer who has achieved so much in his first season at Juventus. Let's applaud Zachary Bemba as he ascends the podium."

As the voice ceased, Zachary's ears picked up even more explosive cheers sounding all over the stadium. He felt warm and proud from the bottom of his heart and started making his way up the podium with the help of his crutches.

The medics, who were nearby, hurried forth to help him up the stairs. But he waved them away for one simple reason. He wanted to ascend the podium and receive his first Serie A winner's medal with his own strength. And not even the mild calf contusion would stop him from achieving his small wish.

The cheers increased in volume after Zachary reached the top of the podium. Then, they exploded into a thunderous peak, like dozens of TNT vocal bombs detonating all at once, when Zachary finally received his Serie A medal, Golden Boot, and Player-of-the-Season award.

What followed was obvious. Thousands of Juventus supporters chanted his name as he placed his crutches to the side and raised his accolades above his head. The voices even increased beyond their previous peaks as he posed for the cameras with his three awards.

At that exact moment, Zachary's feelings were complicated. He felt contentment, pride, happiness, relief, and a little remorseful as he stood on the podium, basking in all the glory.

Yes, he was happy that he played so well the entire season and received the recognition of everyone after receiving the accolades. But he also felt some regret threatening to bubble within him after recalling that he couldn't share all his success with the only person who had done her best to push him up from the ground, even with her limited resources in both his lives. He felt his eyes threatening to turn misty as he couldn't share his glory with his late grandma.

After a few seconds, Zachary sighed and pushed back the tears before walking towards the other side of the podium with the help of his crutches. He paused when he passed by the Serie A trophy standing in the center and felt his mood improve after he bent forward and kissed its surface. Then, he hurried to the side to wait for his teammates and coaches to ascend the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" The voice of the commentator sounded again. "The next to ascend the podium is Carlos Tevez. He has been a faithful servant of the Old Lady and scored eighteen Serie A goals this season. Please put your hands together for Tevez as he receives the 'Best Forward of The Season Award' and his Serie A medal."

More cheers sounded, and Tevez quickly ascended the podium. He received his medals from the officials with a smile before kissing the trophy and joining Zachary on the side.

"The faithful of the Old Lady!" The mellifluous voice of the ceremony commentator sounded yet again. "Our next player to step on the podium is Giorgio Chiellini, our rock in defense. Please put your hands together as he receives the 'Best Defender of the Season Award' and his Serie A medal."

Amid the thunderous cheers, Giorgio Chiellini ascended the stage and received his medals before kissing the trophy and joining Tevez and Zachary.

"The faithful of the Old Lady! Words alone cannot describe how much this coach has achieved at the club during his first season in charge of Juventus. Ladies and Gentlemen! I present Massimiliano Allegri, our manager and the tactical brain behind our team. Please put your hands together for this gentleman as he ascends the podium to receive the 'Serie A Coach of the Season' and his medal."

The cheers hit an even more explosive peak immediately after the commentator mentioned Massimiliano Allegri's name. The man himself didn't seem fazed by the thunderous atmosphere in any way. He calmly straightened his tie as the cameras focused on him before ascending the stairs and receiving his awards. He then exchanged words with the Serie A officials presenting the accolades for a few dozen seconds before heading to the side to wait for the big moment.

The voice of the ceremony commentator continued sounding as more and more players ascended the podium and received their accolades. Proceedings moved forward fast, and the assistant coaches and the technical staff also received their honors under the witness of the thousands of Juventus supporters. Then, the big moment finally arrived, and one of the officials finally picked up the trophy and slowly walked forward before handing it to Gianluigi Buffon, the captain.

Gianluigi Buffon also did his part and slowly raised the Italian Serie A trophy above his head as the fireworks went off in the background. After that was an hour of festivities as the Juventus supporters and fans continued going wild with excitement while celebrating their team's fourth consecutive Serie A title.

All in all, it was a 'crazily festive' night at the Juventus Stadium.

-----

Zachary had to return to J|Medical for his calf contusion rehabilitation treatment early the following morning. With that in mind, he excused himself from the celebrations early before having Lorenzo, his bodyguard, drive him back to his mansion in Pinerolo Piedmont. He arrived around 10 PM and found Bjørn Peters, his live-in fitness coach, still seated in the living room, along with his wife Inger, who also happened to be Zachary's live-in chef.

"Zachary! Welcome back," Inger was the first to greet him. "Congratulations upon winning the Serie A trophy. I'm really happy for you." She stepped forward to hug him.

"Thanks, Inger," Zachary replied. He placed his crutches to the side and accepted the hug while nodding at his fitness coach.

"Why are you looking at me with a guilty expression?" Bjørn Peters questioned with a smile as he rose up from the sofa. "I'm also quite happy for you. Congratulations once again, big man! I can now brag to my peers that my client has won another major trophy in Europe." He also stepped forward for a hug.

"Thanks, coach," Zachary replied and stepped away from Inger. He then accepted the bear hug from his fitness coach before moving to the side.

"Zachary! Are you hungry?" Inger, the ever-dutiful live-in chef, asked. "I could make something delicious for you real quick."

"No worries, Inger," Zachary replied. "I ate with the team after the game. I'm already full and only yearning to head to bed and rest."

"Where are your Serie A medals?" Inger asked again.

"Still in the car," Zachary replied. "There was no way I could carry them while walking with the crutches. So, I instructed Lorenzo to bring them inside the house later."

"That makes sense," Inger said.

"How's your injury, by the way?" Coach Bjørn Peters interjected.

"I feel like I'm recovering well after undergoing three days of treatment sessions at the J|Medical," Zachary replied with a smile. "The pain around my calf muscles has also largely disappeared. However, the medics have advised me to continue using crutches to avoid straining the leg. They say that the crutches are crucial to my recuperation if I wish to heal within the twelve days they set for me."

"They are right," Coach Bjørn Peters said with a nod. "What usually makes player injuries worse is not following medical instructions and straining the hurt muscle, joint, or bone before full recovery. So, I hope you remain obedient to the doctors without doing anything stupid."

"I won't," Zachary promised and glanced at his watch. "It's getting late. I'll be heading up to my room to sleep. So, goodnight."

"Okay, then," Coach Bjørn Peters replied. "Let's wish you a good night too. We'll talk again tomorrow."

"Thanks," Zachary said and nodded at his fitness coach again. He then picked up his crutches and laboriously ascended the stairs. He eventually arrived at his bedroom door and entered the spacious and comfy place.

"Ding!"

The all-familiar system notification sounded in his mind after he closed the door behind him.

"Congratulations to the user for completing most of the major milestones of the 2014/15 Italian Serie A Challenge mission," the system AI's apathetic voice followed. "The user can check out the interface for more details on the mission completion details and associated rewards."