The day dawned crisp and clear. The morning sunshine wafted gently in, diffusing across Zachary's hotel room. The golden rays illuminated his face, and he turned and blinked twice before slowly opening his eyes.
"What time is it?" He mumbled while turning and focusing his eyes on the clock on the opposite wall. "9:24 AM! I have really slept today."
He was still fatigued, especially after playing another 90+ minutes of the previous night's Serie A game against Atalanta. His joints ached, and he still felt drowsy, even after sleeping for more than eight hours.
But as a professional, he knew that he couldn't allow himself to continue dawdling in bed on his day off. He understood that he had to do his utmost to recover from his post-match fatigue before starting intense preparations for Juventus' midweek game against Atlético Madrid. Otherwise, if he was to relax, he might lose his just-gained place within Juventus' starting eleven.
"Time to rumble."