Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

Chapter 47's

Nero followed Assistant Coach Sebastian through a narrow corridor then up the stairs leading to Coach Marcel's office on the second floor.

"Please sit down" said Coach Marcel. He pointed to one of the elegant sofas across from his desk.

"Thank you," Nero replied as he sat down on the sofa. Assistant Coach Sebastian sits on the cushioned bench next to the table Coach Marcel maintains his silence.

Nero let his eyes observe his surroundings. The office, painted in bright white, has one large floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the training ground. In one corner, the AC turns on at a low setting. It carried air from outside, giving off a fresh breeze. To his left stood a wooden cabinet with a glass door. Through the glass, Nero could see several trophies lined up on his shelf.

"So, how do you find life here in Belgium," asked Coach Marcel with a half-smile. He put his hand on the black table. Beside him sat a computer with an open notebook, and a stack of paper held in place by a ball-shaped paperweight. At the end of the uncluttered table stood a framed photo of a black-haired teenage girl, possibly the coach's daughter.

"I'm fine" answered Nero politely. "The "training facilities here are pretty amazing. However, I haven't taken part in enough matches to practice my skills." He added, the voice took a dubious tone.

Nero needs more official matches to gain match experience and, of course, the exp points system He has realized that he can get 30 points or more from the system missions in each game, depends on its appearance.

He wanted to take part in more games to collect points and buy high-grade potions to improve his physical fitness.

Coach Marcel folded his hands in front of his chest, maintaining half his smile. "That's one of the reasons I called you here. I can promise that in a few months, you will get a lot of game time. You will get the chance to play against other academies from all over Europe."

"You mean the Riga Cup?"

"Yes." Yeah." Coach Marcel nodded. "This time, I have reached an agreement with Rosenborg officials. You can join squads towards Riga and SIA trophies. But on one condition."

Nero met the coach's gaze and spoke slowly. "And that was?"

At that moment, the door opened behind him. Heavy footsteps moved into the room. "You started without me?" A deep muttering voice, with a tone mixed with a tone of disapproval.

"Sorry, Mr. Anderson." Coach Marcel stood up and reached out to the new stranger. "But you're late. But don't worry. We just answered some of Nero's questions while waiting for your arrival."

Nero's confused. Should anyone else be present during the meeting? He turned to his side and observed a new arrival. He was a middle-aged blond man in an elegant suit with a standard Belgian face, square shoulders everywhere, and a square chin. She seems like a stereotypical type of office and seems to have mastered the look of confidence as a money-making skill.

The stranger grabbed Coach Marcel's hand and smiled. "I'm sorry, coach. I came in a hurry off the field. How was your morning, by the way?" He asked, sitting on the sofa beside Nero.

"Well," replied Coach Marcel, sitting back down. "I guess you remember my assistant, Coach Sebastian?" He tilted his head to one side, observing the man.

"Yes, yes," said the stranger, turning towards the other coach in the room. "Good morning to you?"

"Good morning." Coach Sebastian nodded at the stranger, smiling.

The two coaches behaved in such a way that it reminded Nero of the locals at home greeting a delegation visiting their village. They are very polite and formal, which is out of character. Nero concluded that the stranger must be someone in an important position.

"And this young man is Nero Juniar." Coach Marcel introduced him last. "He's the player we're talking about."

"It's nice to meet you, young man," said the stranger, turning around and extending his hand to Nero. "I'm Manuel Anderson, one of Anderlecht's legal advisers. I've heard a lot about you." He smiled kindly.

Nero shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you too." He turned towards Coach Marcel, his eyebrows raised full of question marks.

"No need to worry" replied Coach Marcel, waving his hand. "We are here to talk about some possibilities for your future. Let's wait for Mr. Thorgan before we continue our conversation."

Nero was surprised that even Mr. Thorgan would also be present. He initially thought he would only talk briefly with Coach Marcel before returning to his training. However, the importance of the meeting had exceeded his expectations.

They don't have to wait long. Mr. Thorgan arrives soon—and the meeting begins.

He looked towards Nero. "Young man, I represent the club. I'm just here to seek commitment from you and your representatives."

"What kind of commitment?" Nero asked, stealing a glance towards Coach Johansen. He wondered if that commitment was a condition he would have to fulfil before joining the academy teams heading to Riga and Valencia.

Mr. Anderson smiled. "To put it simply, we need to get you under contract," he said, removing some papers from his briefcase.

"I will speak frankly" he continued. "You are an asset the club has developed. That is, of course, as a talented football player. Right?"

Nero nodded. He can understand the logic of a lawyer. Anderlecht pumped money to maintain his stay in Brussels and turned him into a professional footballer.

"However, you are not bound by any contract. When you are 18 years old, any other club can come and snatch you without paying a transfer fee. We don't want to see that happen. That's why we offered you a contract at an earlier date."

"What about FIFA rules?" Zachary is not opposed to signing Anderlecht. He wants to play for a club that has taken him to Europe for a year or two. But, he had no intention of taking part in breaking FIFA rules.

Mr. Anderson smiled, nodding at the other people in the office. "I'm glad your attitude isn't too opposed to signing for the club" he said. "You don't have to worry about FIFA rules. We need you to sign something uncomplicated—to make sure that you are with us after leaving the academy next year. To ensure that FIFA does not follow suit, you must sign the Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA), of course." He explains.

"Give me a contract and give me time to decide" Nero said. He did not want to spend the whole day listening to the terms of the contract.

"Okay, here it is." Mr. Anderson handed me two sets of papers.

Nero quickly began to read. A set is a four-page contract that binds Nero to play for R. S. C. Anderlecht just after her eighteenth birthday. He would have to stay at the club for four years before moving to greener pastures— that is, if he signed that document. The second is the Non-Disclosure Agreement. It made Nero commit not to divulge the terms of the contract to anyone else — aside from the people present in the room.

"I'll only sign if you reduce the duration I have to play for Anderlecht to two years" Nero said, locking in a view with lawyers.

"Done." The lawyer smiled, picking up another set of papers from his open briefcase. He then handed it to Nero.

Nero was confused when he received the letters. He wondered why the lawyer had so quickly agreed to his offer.

‘Did I miss something in the contract?’ thought confused

He read the new contract, word for word. Others left it on their own devices and started speaking among themselves in Dutch.

Nero did not mind as he was already tired of being the center of attention in the room. He continued reading and quickly discovered that there was no monetary remuneration from Anderlecht's team until he was 18. Under the terms, Nero will only accept the contract again at the end of the following year. That was before he joined the first team roster.

After reading, he weighed the pros and cons of the contract. If he does not sign, Anderlecht officials will remain vigilant against him. They will not allow him to enter international youth competitions such as the Riga Cup. Nero would then have difficulty accumulating exp points, thus slowing his progress.

However, if he were to sign, he would only need to stay at Anderlecht for two years. After that, he will be free to go wherever he wants and play all over Europe. But who knows? Perhaps, he will perform well and attract the attention of big clubs before that. Nero would not believe that Anderlecht would reject a transfer deal of over 15 Million US Dollars. Their transfer record is less than 3 Million US Dollars at the moment.

"I will sign" he announced after the talks.

The rest of the three men turned their heads towards him, their eyebrows raised with shocked expressions. It seemed like they did not think he would agree right away.

"Are you done considering?" Mr. Anderson asked.

"Yes." Yeah." Nero replied while nodding.

"All right then." The lawyer smiled.