“All I can say is that it was a one-sided demolishing of Rosenborg by Real Madrid,” Shaka replied with a sigh. “Without Zachary Bemba’s presence in the midfield, the Norwegian giants couldn’t seem to find the rhythm and brilliance that allowed them to win the Europa League last season. They committed many mistakes and invited Real Madrid to decimate them. And that’s what happened.”

“You just mentioned Zachary Bemba,” Emilia Vasquez pointed out as the cameras focused back on her. “Do you think there would have been a possibility of Rosenborg beating Real Madrid if he had been on the squad?”

Shaka smiled. “I’m sure the match would have been more interesting if Zachary had been on Rosenborg’s squad yesterday. The boy is like a force of nature — like a Tsunami that sweeps away everything on the field of play. Had he been on the pitch, he would have gone at Real Madrid from the first minute and created many opportunities on goal. He wouldn’t have allowed the Spanish giants to wipe the floor with his team. But too bad! He’s already a Juventus player.”

“That reminds me of something interesting,” Joshua Morales, the pundit occupying the seat next to Shaka, chimed in with a smile. “During the 16th minute, Sergio Ramos committed that risky foul against Karl Toko Ekambi at the edge of the box. The referee awarded a free kick to Rosenborg, but Mike Jensen, Rosenborg’s central midfielder, failed to convert. Just imagine if Zachary had been on the pitch. He would have taken the free kick and buried the ball into the back of the net to put Rosenborg ahead early in the game. That would have been a very crucial turning point in the match. And from that moment, we would have seen a different trajectory of the game, and just maybe, Rosenborg would have played counterattacking football and won the Super Cup.”

“Those are many what ifs,” Charles Adams, the journalist, remarked. “Let’s not forget to merit the brilliance of the Real Madrid players. They played incredibly well yesterday night, took their chances well, and destroyed Rosenborg with their creativity and speed. And even if Zachary had been present, so what? Those energetic and tactical Real Madrid players would have still found a way to contain him. They would have been more careful while defending, and they wouldn’t have allowed him a chance to convert any free kicks or take shots at goal near their box.”

“Guys!” Emilia Vasquez chipped in. “Let’s return our focus to the UEFA Super Cup game. Cristiano Ronaldo was quite impressive during the match. He bagged two goals within a five-minute window to kick-start the goal fest that saw Rosenborg lose the game by seven goals to one.”

“I’m not surprised,” Charles Adams said. “Cristiano Ronaldo has always been an incredible player. Last season, he clearly outdid himself by scoring 51 goals in all competitions and helping his team win the UEFA Champions League. Yesternight, he was on form again and scored twice to help Real Madrid win the Super Cup. Honestly, I’ll really be disappointed if he doesn’t win the next Ballon d’Or.”

“Where does that leave Messi, Arjen Robben, and Zachary?” Emilia asked. “They all scored over forty goals for their clubs last season. Don’t you think they have the potential to win the Ballon d’Or?”

Charles Adams chuckled and shook his head. “Please do us a favor and don’t bring Zachary into this debate. We’re talking about players with the highest probability of winning the Ballon d’Or. How does Zachary’s name come into this discussion when he didn’t even play the World Cup?”

“He helped his club overcome all odds and win the Europa League for the first time in history,” Joshua Morales pointed out. “Such a feat surely deserves an award.”

Shaka Hislop smiled and said, “I know that Charles is quite an annoying guy. But I’m with him on this one. We can’t bring Zachary Bemba into the debate of the players likely to win the Ballon d’Or at this moment. He’s far from that level, as he hasn’t played in highly competitive leagues. And I know he won the Europa League, but that isn’t enough to compare him with this year’s Ballon d’Or top candidates. He still falls short.”

“Thank you, Shaka,” Charles Adams hurriedly said. “I have been telling people the exact same thing. Winning the Europa League doesn’t warrant that Zachary is one of the best players in the world. He hasn’t reached the level where he can touch the shoes of incredible talents like CR7, Neymar, or Messi.”

Shaka nodded in agreement. “But before we move on, I still have to point out one thing,” he said. “Zachary Bemba is an incredible player who has the potential to create miracles on the pitch. But he’s still a diamond in the rough as he’s only nineteen years. Only if he keeps progressing will we see him joining the ranks of top players in three to five years. But for now, we can only rate him as a young player with immense potential and the highest probability of winning the Golden Boy award. That’s my honest rating of him.”

“Indeed, he can win the Golden Boy award,” Steve Nicol agreed. “The only other young lads that could potentially give him some competition include Kurt Zouma, Raheem Sterling, and Adrien Rabiot. But with his achievements last season, he should be able to beat them and win the award this year.”

“Speaking of Zachary,” Emilia said, “He was honest in his interview with Éléanor after Juventus’ game against the A-League all-stars on Sunday night. He mentioned that he’s working hard to progress his career to another level. He also emphasized that he’s driven and deeply yearns to succeed at Juventus. Steve! Do you think he will be able to realize his goals at Juventus? Can he elevate his game and become one of those greats in football within a couple of years?”

“Honestly,” Steve Nicol said, “I can’t answer that question at the moment. I don’t have all the data to analyze the possible trajectory of his growth over the next few years.”

Emilia nodded. “I understand your reservations. But can you tell us what Zachary has to do to become one of the top players in the world?”

“Of course, he has to continue working hard,” Steve Nicol said matter-of-factly. “Remember, all footballers who have managed to achieve greatness in football are consistent. They can put up spectacular performances all season round for many years. That also applies to Zachary. He needs to remain consistent on and off the pitch. He needs to play spectacular football week in, week out, and score many goals for Juventus before joining the ranks of the top world-class footballers.”

“Thank you, Nicol.” Emilia nodded and turned to another pundit. “Charles! You have been very open about how Zachary will likely become a flop at Juventus. Do you still think the same after watching his performance against the A-League all-stars on Sunday night?”

“Well,” Charles Adams said a bit hesitantly. “If you are to factor in Zachary’s signing fee, which amounts to roughly 80 million Euros, there’s a chance he’ll become a flop at Juventus this season. He might fail to quickly mature into the playmaker Juventus wished to acquire when they coughed out all that money. Of course, I understand that Zachary scored his first goal for Juventus on Sunday, but that’s still not enough. I want to see him playing as he did at Rosenborg last season. I want to see him tearing defenses apart and scoring week in, week out. Only then will I label him a successful signing for Juventus. And only then will I acknowledge that he’s worth the 80 million that Juventus splashed out to acquire him from Rosenborg.”

“You’re out of your mind,” Joshua Morales couldn’t help but comment from beside Charles. “And clearly, you don’t know the meaning of the word flop.”

Charles raised a brow. “Say that again.”

“I said that you’re out of your mind and you don’t know the meaning of the word flop,” Joshua Morales reiterated, not mincing words with the journalist. “Let’s not forget that it was only a few weeks ago when you stated with great conviction in front of the cameras that Zachary would become a flop at Juventus. But now, after watching the guy improve after each game he plays for Juventus, you’re trying to dig your way out of a grave you created for yourself. You’re using wordplay to distance yourself from your remarks instead of owning up to them. Shame upon you.”

“Viewers!” Emilia chimed in before Charles could respond. “We’ll be heading into a short commercial break. Thanks for watching, and please don’t touch that dial.”

She said all that in a single breath while secretly signaling the camera crew to cut the live feed. Then, after the cameras went offline, she spent minutes calming the tempers around her as she didn’t wish to see a scenario where pundits started a brawl within her studio due to differing opinions.

**** ****