THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

After a night of deliberation, Zachary didn't choose to buy a stand-alone mansion as his home in Ivory Coast. Instead, he decided to go for an entire three-story apartment block priced at around 980K Euros in one of Abidjan's residential suburbs. He tasked Kristin with finalizing all the purchase procedures in his stead before boarding an afternoon flight together with Lorenzo, his bodyguard, and setting off for Turin.

Their plane touched down on the runway of the Turin-Caselle Airport at around midday the following day. It was a pretty busy hour within the famous transport hub of Turin, and there were floods of people waiting to board the planes and other swarms going through immigration checks and other procedures.

Zachary and his bodyguard utilized one of the airport's 'arrival meet and assist' fast-track VIP services to avoid all the commotion and the lines. They went through the required procedures in less than ten minutes before boarding their Audi RS 7 and returning to Zachary's villa in Pinerolo, Piedmont.

Zachary had coughed out ample sums of money to have his mansion renovated over the past few months. Its walls were more polished, and its gardens were lush and green with towering trees. Its aesthetics, both on the inside and outside, were pleasing to the eye, and Zachary felt pretty relaxed after returning to its safe confines.

He entered the house through the front door and greeted the other residents. He later washed up and enjoyed a fulfilling lunch prepared by Inger, his chef, before returning to his room and descending into a long slumber.

His fatigue levels were already high after his long journey to and from Ivory Coast. On top of that, he'd also played two intensive international football matches in hot weather that drained his stamina. So, after returning to the haven that was his villa, he relaxed and forgot about everything else. He slept until evening and only woke up because of the aggravating sound of his phone vibrating from his bedside table.

"Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt!"

Turning to one side, Zachary extended his arm and picked up the still-vibrating phone. The next moment, his expression softened when he realized that the call was from Emily Anderson, his agent. He tapped the accept button and immediately held the phone against his ear.

"Hello, Emily," he spoke into the phone.

"Hello, Zachary!" She replied in a cheerful voice. "Welcome back from Ivory Coast, and congratulations upon accomplishing a successful debut for your national team." 𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗻𝐨𝐯𝗲𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Thanks, Emily," Zachary answered. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," she replied. "What about you? How are you doing?"

"I am also doing great. But, of course, I can't escape the fatigue after playing two back-to-back international games."

Kristin chuckled. She then spent the next minute or so exchanging some more small talk with Zachary before finally breaching the topic that was the reason for her call.

"Zachary," she continued, "I was just in touch with Kristin. She just informed me that you tasked her with finalizing the purchase procedures for a villa in Abidjan."

"Yes," Zachary confirmed. "She's helping me with the purchase. I informed her to contact you so that you can help her with the legal end of matters."

"That's what she said," Emily said. "But why are you buying an apartment block in Ivory Coast? I thought you initially only wanted to buy a small house that would act as your temporary home when you're in Abidjan! Why did you change your mind all of a sudden?"

"Well..." Zachary replied, "I was studying Ivory Coast's real estate market the other day and realized it's really promising. For instance, people who purchased prime plots of land at around 40,000 Euros five years ago are now able to sell them for twice or thrice the amount. With such profits up for grabs, I was tempted to take action, and that was how I ended up buying the apartment block. The apartment itself is in a strategic place, which happens to be a junction between three busy roads. If I develop the property well, there's a high chance that I'll reap bountiful profits in the future."

"All that I understand," Emily said with an audible sigh. "But you should understand that any investment needs hands-on management to make a profit. Real estate might be a high-return venture in Abidjan, but the possibility of you making losses exists, especially if you don't have suitable personnel to manage the property. And don't tell me that you can manage it yourself. Considering your busy schedule as a footballer, you might not get time to visit the property for months or even a year. So, Zachary! Tell me! How do you expect to reap profits under such circumstances? For all I know, some conmen or corrupt officials could conspire to sell your property without your knowledge at any time. Then, you would descend into a world of sorrow that would, in turn, affect your football career."

"The risk is there," Zachary agreed with Emily's analysis. "But as we all know; you'll never progress without taking risks. People must go out of their comfort zones to develop. Honestly, I'm just testing the waters in Ivory Coast. But if the investment works out, I'll purchase more land and property in the country. I understand that doing all that comes with risks. However, I also know there are ways to minimize those risks to the bare minimum. I'm no business specialist to conjure sure-proof ways to manage the property. But I'm already paying Miss Heather Miller for that. As my investment consultant, she should be able to come up with appropriate plans to manage my property, and in so doing, she can help me avoid incurring losses due to mismanagement. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, that's true," Emily said. "Bringing an investment consultant on board would work wonders. She can even help you set up a company, which will employ skilled workers to manage your investments in your stead."

"Then, let's do exactly that," Zachary said. "Let's bring Miss Heather Miller on board so she can set up the company that will manage my investments."

"Are you sure?" Emily asked. "Setting up a company requires a lot of capital and time. And even though you'll have employees, there will be times when you'll be required to appear in the company in person. All that might divert your attention and affect the future progress of your football career."

"That won't happen," Zachary said with confidence. "Investments won't divert me from my career. They will give me another goal in life, thus allowing me to remain focused. A case in point is that I will not have to spend most of my money on distractions like supermodels, designer clothes, and vacations but on buying property."

"I guess you've thought everything through," Emily intoned. "Let's hope you're right. I'll contact Heather and have her start the procedures for setting up your company. She's also the right person to help Kristin finalize the procedures for the property purchase in Abidjan."

"True," Zachary agreed. "Just finalize everything with her and inform me about the outcome. I'm really looking forward to setting up a company."

"All that aside," Emily said, "your decision to reject the Vector X endorsement deal was right on the money. Your patience has finally paid off, and Nike just forwarded a new endorsement deal proposal to me earlier today."

"They have?" Zachary's eyes lit up. "Tell me the details."

"Well..." Emily said. "They are proposing a ten-year endorsement deal which will see you pocket an annual income of roughly 13 million Euros. Moreover, that's just the 'basic' earnings. There are clauses in their offer that will increase your income to roughly 18 to 20 million if you can accomplish feats that market your name globally. For instance, your annual earnings could increase by a significant margin if you won a Champions League Trophy, the Serie A, and the Ballon d'Or. And if you were to win a World Cup during the contract period, your annual income might even double."

"Ten-year deal!" Zachary exclaimed. "That means I'll be under contract with them until I hit thirty. What do you think? Is it a good offer?"

"I can't say for sure," Emily replied. "At the moment, it seems like a more than good offer. But with how fast you're progressing as a footballer, I'm not sure that it will still be the best deal, let's say, in five years. By then, you might have just achieved so much, and many companies would be willing to offer you double the money Nike is offering."

"So, what do you suggest?" Zachary inquired.

"My suggestion is simple," Emily said. "You still have more than a year on your contract with Nike. So, we have some leeway to slow the negotiation procedures while waiting for Nike to make a better offer. In the meantime, you might also be able to accomplish more memorable feats on the field of play, thereby increasing our bargaining power."

"So, your suggestion is to take it slow until Nike caves in and makes a better offer?"

"Yes, exactly." Emily nodded. "You don't lack money at the moment. So, let's take our time and negotiate the best contract possible. Let's remain patient and do things right so that we can push for a deal that will elevate you to the status of one of the highest-earning footballers in the world."

"I like the sound of that," Zachary said. "Go ahead and do exactly that. But keep me in the loop in case something major happens."

"Okay," Emily agreed. "We have talked a lot. I guess I have to say goodbye now."

"Sure! I have also just returned to Turin earlier today. I'm still feeling fatigued. Let's end our talk here. But please don't forget to contact Miss Heather Miller about the company stuff."

"I will do that," Emily promised. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Zachary ended the call. He didn't continue sleeping after that but descended the stairs and enjoyed dinner with Inger and Bj?rn Peters. After the meal, Zachary watched the sports news for an hour or so before returning to his room. He utilized only about fifteen minutes to shower before jumping into bed for the night.