Monica chuckled, inclining her head to lock eyes with Kristin. "You'll love this," she said. "Olav posted something about what Zachary said during the post-match interview yesterday. Both the Molde and Rosenborg fans have gone crazy over the post on many social media platforms. Check your Facebook."
"You don't say," Kristin smiled, picking up her phone to view the post. She hurriedly navigated to Olav's page, which had over ten thousand followers, all sports lovers from Norway and a few neighboring Scandinavian countries.
"WE ARE THE STRONGEST TEAM IN NORWAY - THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT," says Zachary Bemba, Rosenborg's new star. That was the title that greeted Kristin on opening Olav's page. She glanced up from her phone to Monica, wondering why such a statement could send the fans into a frenzy.
Zachary hadn't said anything wrong as Rosenborg had the most glorious history in Norway. Most Norwegians silently agreed that Rosenborg was the best team at the bottom of their hearts. Thus, the reaction of the fans was puzzling.
"Watch the video first," Monica said, seemingly guessing her thoughts. "It's the way he phrased it. You'll understand."
Kristin nodded before fixing her earphones into place and clicking the play button on the Facebook video. The seven-minute well-edited motion picture started by showing the highlights of Zachary's performances in his previous three games. It showed all Zachary's goals, including the bicycle-kick against Aalesunds and his two free-kicks against Tromsø. When the highlights ended, Zachary's stern face populated the whole screen as the post-match interview from the previous day started showing.
****
"Your team has accumulated 16 points, the same as Strømsgodset Toppfotball," Kristin heard the reporter, probably Olav Brusveen, say. "Rosenborg is only in second place because of Strømsgodset's superior goal difference. Are you confident with regards to winning the Trophy this season?"
"The team's atmosphere at the moment feels great'" Zachary replied. "We're the strongest team in Norway. There's no doubt about that. So, we're confident that we can continue gaining victories until we win both the Cupen and the Tippeligaen this season."
"Best team in Norway, you say!" The voice of the reporter queried, coming to Kristin's ears through the earphones. "Not Molde, not Strømsgodset! The Tippeligaen fans may not agree. One team is the champion for last season, while the other has been one of the table leaders ever since the season began."
"Of course, we are the best," Zachary replied confidently. "We'll soon surpass Strømsgodset and return to the top of the table. And there's no need to mention Molde. If I recall correctly, they should still be at the bottom of the table with two points from seven matches this season. Isn't that right?"
"Yes, you're right," Olav replied. "They've not won any game ever since the season started. Their two points are from two draws."
"Then, there's no need for comparison," Zachary said seriously, and the interview section of the video ended.
Olav Brusveen's elegant face appeared on her phone screen next.
"There you have it," the TV2 Sporten reporter said. "That was the post-match interview from yesterday's Rosenborg's game with Zachary Bemba. The new star of Rosenborg is very confident that Rosenborg will continue racking up more victories to win the double this season. All the other teams need to watch out as this is one player that means what he says. His goals speak for themselves. Thank you for watching. If you liked the video, please like our page, and please do comment to make your opinions known." Olav said in a conclusive tone, ending the seven-minute video.
****
Kristin chuckled after she finished watching the video. "This guy seriously needs a publicity secretary or something," she said, shaking her head. "How can you say that there's no need for comparison just because Molde is at the bottom of the table. The Molde fans will eat him alive when they chance upon him." She added, scrolling on to the comments below the video.
A lot of people had already commented on the video. Kristin could only read the comments with the most likes just below the video.
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Rolf Petersen's comment with 614 likes: 'I'm a Viking FK supporter, and I usually don't like to get into the rivalry between Rosenborg and Molde. But I have to intervene this time around. Saying there's no need for comparison between Molde and Rosenborg is outright nonsense. Molde are the champions for last season. They also eliminated Rosenborg at the Fourth Round stage of the Cupen last year. Where does this young boy get the confidence to say that Molde can't compare to Rosenborg? Is it just because he has scored a few goals for Rosenborg?'
Sindre Hestad's comment with 613 likes: 'Who cares about what he said. If any Molde player can score a goal similar to his bicycle-kick against Aalesunds, he'll get a free pass. He can say anything he wishes to say during the post-match interview, and we'll spend the whole morning commenting about it. Oops! I just forgot that Molde lacks any star players who can attract this kind of attention. My bad. Sorry about that.'
Svein Hagen's comment with 506 likes: ROSENBORG! ROSENBORG! ROSENBORG!
Jarl Lunde's comment with 503 likes: '@Sindre_Hestad @Svein_Hagen; your comments lack any substance. Let's wait for Monday 20th. We shall solve this at Lerkendal. Don't forget last season's lesson and no need for pointless arguments.'
RonaldinhoIsFromAkerStadium's comment with 492 likes: 'Well said @Rolf_Petersen and @Jarl_Lunde. We Molde fans don't need to argue over pointless stuff. When we come to Lerkendal Stadion on May 20th, we shall show you who the boss is.'
*****
Kristin continued browsing through the comments and noticed that majority supported Zachary's statement of Rosenborg being the best in Norway. However, there were also a large number of fans that were dissing him and promising him hell when he faced Molde later that May. She browsed a few other sports pages and noticed that they were all discussing the same topic of Zachary, his goals, and his post-match interview. Zachary had become a sensation in both the wrong and good ways. Kristin was both surprised and amused.
"Do you think that Zachary has seen that video?" Monica inquired after noticing that Kristin had finished watching.
"I highly doubt that," Kristin replied, her eyes still on her phone's screen. "I remember him saying something about not being on Facebook or Twitter. He must still be in the dark about this. But there's nothing wrong with what Zachary said in the video. It's good publicity for both him and Rosenborg."
"Let me correct you there," Monica said, smiling. "It's good publicity only if he can make his claims come true by continuing to perform well and helping his team to gain more victories. Should he lose against Molde or Strømsgodset—and then fail to win any trophy, he will become the biggest joke in the Tippeligaen this season."
**** ****
