The Greatest of all Time

Chapter 759: A Season to Remember

The weeks that followed tested Liverpool's depth.

Southampton away came first. Since it was just six days after the Super Cup in Istanbul, Klopp rotated his squad heavily. Players looked drained from the travel and extra time, but Zachary started in midfield.

Zachary did not press recklessly. He played smart, conserving energy, moving the ball into safe zones until openings appeared. In the second half, when Southampton began to tire, his influence grew. He clipped a perfect ball over the top for Mané, who finished coolly to break the deadlock. Later, Zachary himself arrived late in the box and slotted home a second. Liverpool won 2–1, grinding out a victory that showed character.

Arsenal at Anfield came next. The Gunners arrived unbeaten, hoping to test the European champions with their new attack of Aubameyang and Lacazette.

For twenty minutes they looked dangerous, hitting Liverpool on the counter, but Zachary was everywhere. He screened passes, cut off angles, and forced them into mistakes. In the 41st minute, he started the move that opened the floodgates. A neat turn in midfield, a ball threaded through to Robertson, and from there Firmino finished. Liverpool ended up 3–1 winners, and Zachary walked off the pitch to a standing ovation from the Kop.

Then came Burnley at Turf Moor. Always a difficult away ground. Sean Dyche's men were physical, direct, and relentless in the air. It was the sort of game where Liverpool could easily have been dragged into chaos.

Instead, Zachary slowed it all down. He dropped deep to collect from Van Dijk, switched play patiently, and wore Burnley down. By the 37th minute, the pressure told. His long-range pass released Salah, whose shot was deflected in. After halftime, Zachary added an assist, cutting through Burnley's midfield with one laser pass that sent Firmino clear. Liverpool won 3–0, and once again, Zachary was in the middle of it all.

By the end of September, his numbers were absurd. Seven goals. Eight assists. Double figures in goal contributions before October had even begun. Pundits on Match of the Day called him Liverpool's most reliable performer. Gary Lineker summed it up: "You expect consistency from Van Dijk or Salah, but Bemba has taken it to another level. He's dictating games in a way very few midfielders in history ever have."

What set him apart was not just the talent. It was the discipline behind it. He never missed recovery sessions. Whether it was cold baths, stretching routines, or light gym work on off days… he followed them to the letter. Nutrition too. No sugar binges. No late-night fast food. Even on birthdays, he limited himself. Klopp often pointed to him in team talks, not for the goals, but for the professionalism.

Off the pitch, Kristin made sure he stayed balanced. She was still officially his PA, handling the details of his schedule, travel, and appearances. But their personal bond grew in ways only they fully understood. Their evenings together were quiet, ordinary, and that was what Zachary needed.

Sometimes, after a long away trip, he would slump on the sofa still in his tracksuit. Kristin would laugh softly, drape a blanket over him, and remind him that he snored louder after wins than losses. Other nights she would hide his phone during dinner so he would not scroll through social media or statistics. Instead, they would talk about films, books she had picked up, or her impressions of Liverpool as a city.

These small moments carried weight. In a season where the pressure only grew heavier, Zachary found peace in the normality she gave him.

Then December arrived, a month every player dreaded. Matches came every three or four days. Travel piled up. Injuries mounted around the league. But Zachary's form did not dip. If anything, he grew sharper. He understood when to push his body and when to pull back. He could give everything in ninety minutes, then still train cleverly to be ready for the next game.

The defining performance came on Boxing Day at King Power Stadium. Leicester City were second in the table, flying under Brendan Rodgers, and many thought they could hand Liverpool their first defeat of the season. But from the first whistle, Zachary owned the pitch.

In the 25th minute, he timed his run perfectly to meet a Salah cutback and drove the ball into the net. In the second half, he picked out Firmino with a clipped ball over the defense for 2–0. Minutes later, he scored again, cutting inside from the edge of the box and curling one into the far corner.

By the time Trent Alexander-Arnold smashed in a fourth, Leicester's players looked stunned. The scoreboard read 4–0, but it could have been more. Sky Sports gave Zachary man of the match by a landslide.

Klopp's post-match interview said it all. "Zachary knows when to give everything and when to save something. That is the mark of a great player. He is efficient, he is calm, and when we need brilliance, he delivers it."

The headlines the next morning were clear. Liverpool unstoppable. Bemba untouchable.

Europe was another stage where his influence shone brightest.

Liverpool had little trouble in the group stage of the Champions League. Napoli and Salzburg pushed them, but Zachary's calm play always kept Liverpool ahead of danger. He didn't just chase goals for himself. He dictated the rhythm, creating space for Salah and Mané, while still adding goals when the moment called for it. By the time the group stage ended, he had scored five and assisted seven more, already among the top contributors in the tournament.

The knockout rounds demanded more. In the quarterfinal against Atlético Madrid, the first leg in Spain had ended in frustration. Atlético's low block smothered Liverpool, and the game finished 1–0 to the home side. Critics said Simeone's team had once again mastered the art of grinding Liverpool down.

The second leg at Anfield rewrote that story. Zachary was everywhere. He controlled midfield, pressed intelligently, and picked the right passes at the right moments. His first goal came from a clever one-two with Firmino, guiding the ball into the far corner with precision. Later, he slipped Salah through for Liverpool's second, and in the dying minutes, his cross found Mané, who buried the header.

The crowd erupted. The tie had been turned completely. Zachary walked off the pitch with one goal, two assists, and the Man of the Match award. Journalists were quick to call it one of the most complete individual performances Anfield had ever seen. Klopp later admitted that night confirmed something he already knew. "He does not only play football. He controls it."

The semifinals and final only added to his legend. Against PSG, he threaded passes through Neymar and Mbappé's pressing lines. In the final against Bayern Munich, he delivered the decisive assist, cutting through the defense to set up Salah. Liverpool lifted the Champions League trophy again, and Zachary was named Player of the Tournament.

The domestic cups brought more joy.

In the EFL Cup semifinal at Old Trafford, the tie was level on aggregate until Zachary struck. A powerful run through midfield ended with a curled finish into the bottom corner, silencing the United crowd. He didn't celebrate wildly, only raised his arms, calm and assured. It was a reminder that for him, moments of brilliance were becoming routine.

At Wembley in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, the stage demanded something special. The score was 1–1 in the second half when Zachary picked up the ball thirty yards from goal. Instead of looking for a pass, he let fly. The ball bent viciously into the top corner. Gasps filled the stadium, followed by roars from Liverpool fans. Commentators immediately called it one of the goals of the season.

Every time Liverpool needed something extraordinary, Zachary provided it. Yet what made him unique was his composure. He never looked rushed, never desperate. Everything seemed calculated.

By the end of May, the numbers had become almost unreal.

In the Premier League alone, Zachary finished with 29 goals and 22 assists. That was enough to lead both charts, something rarely seen in English football. But when the full season was tallied, his totals broke into historic territory.

Seventy-two goals. Thirty-four assists.

The records rolled off the tongue like a dream. Only Lionel Messi's 2011–12 season of 73 goals stood above him. But even Messi had not paired such a goal tally with Zachary's assist numbers. For an attacking midfielder, this was unheard of. Analysts filled hours of television debating if this was the greatest individual season ever produced.

His name now stood beside legends: Messi, Müller, Pelé, Romário, Bican. He was no longer compared to midfielders. He was compared to the immortals of football.

With his help, Liverpool had completed a historic quadruple: Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, and Champions League. As a result, the open-top bus parade through the streets of Liverpool lasted for hours. Red smoke flares lit up the air. Chants of "Bemba, Bemba, Bemba" echoed across the Mersey.

Kristin wasn't on the bus. That day was for the players and the staff. But she was in the crowd, clapping among the thousands, smiling quietly as Zachary waved down from the top deck. Later, when the noise of the city faded and he came home exhausted, medals still hanging from his neck, she was waiting in the kitchen with two mugs of tea. She teased him about photos of him juggling four trophies at once, already viral on social media.

Those simple moments reminded him who he was beyond the spotlight.

With the season's end, the talk had moved beyond Liverpool's dominance. The only question was whether Zachary Bemba was already the best player in the world.

On the final day at Anfield, he applauded the supporters beneath fireworks, the roar of the Kop ringing in his ears. As he left the pitch, he glanced up to the stands. Kristin was there, clapping softly. Their eyes met for a moment, and the long season felt lighter.

He wasn't just back from injury. He was stronger than ever. And football was ready to give him its highest honor.

The Ballon d'Or.