🔗 Share this article

COULD IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN?

Should you have overlooked the footage of Iliman Ndiaye performing a backwards bouncing trick at Everton’s training ground, you should check it out. By pulling off a move so impressive that it would have fit right in at a Harlem Globetrotters friendly display, the skill immediately shut down what was meant to be a casual practice to wrap up what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how amateur players can secure a fresh start after being released by professional academies.

Ndiaye, who featured in non-league games directly before being signed by Sheffield United at 19, is ideally suited to speak on this topic. “Don’t focus on the rejection and one day your luck is going to materialize,” he informed a young player shortly before executing said impressive trick on his opponent, in doing so vividly showing the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been trying to bridge.

Ndiaye isn’t the first professional footballer to go slightly overboard. A younger Michael Owen gleefully humiliating a teenage keeper in front of a annoyed Neville Southall is clearly the benchmark in this particular niche – but the ex-Anfield star is not alone in this. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have caused kids to weep with a series of brutal nutmegs, although it’s believed that the latter was at least inspired by the Japanese player’s social media apologetic post – “difficulty breeds resilience” – and the associated label of #friendship.

Kagawa’s former Dortmund teammates Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the decency to be defeated against 100 children when the trio lined up during the mid-game pause of their last appearance for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that contained Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso showed less mercy when they played against 109 Chinese kids in a similar experiment. But back to the start, it’s estimated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing organized youth football in England will ever play in the Premier League, a harsh truth for toddlers and teenagers across the country.

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

Follow Scott Murray from 7.45pm GMT for hot Geopolitics World Cup qualifying coverage of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be tracking events for the remaining evening matches.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Football took me but it never deserted me because I never abandoned my dream. I went from team to team. The passion for soccer carries you. I couldn’t always see where it was directing me. But today I have the solution” – head coach Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his planning to discuss his journey.

READER CORRESPONDENCE

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister won’t be excluded by Argentina. With luck, if he goes to the major tournament next year, he’ll read up on how to get about the host cities – wouldn’t want him to end up lost in New York” – James Humphries.

“Information shows that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been prohibited due to alleged involvement in a betting scandal. It would be amazing if that number could be bumped up to the same level of usual detail-orientation associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my estimation, that’s about 33 more perfectionists. If I volunteer to be banned from playing professionally in Turkey (hardly a difficult decision at my age and, um, ability), are there 32 more folks willing to participate in my quest for balance?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a daily reader and Florida resident, can I in advance protest about the coming period of published letters about which road one uses to get to various locations in your country? I mean, I was delayed in congestion on I-4 at 2am on a Tuesday night driving through Orlando once, but that’s the whole story. There’s no rewarding moral to the tale. (I-4 joins Tampa on the Gulf Coast to Daytona on the Atlantic via Orlando/Walt Disney World, and can have congestion problems at any time)” – Rasteen Nowroozi.

“Concerning Wythenshawe FC, I recollect many years ago playing for a Sunday, very casual team, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke known as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who recruited him. Supposedly he was an actor; he had a decent left foot. (Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis)” – Jason Steger.

“Together with some co-workers and mates, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our most experienced participant is nearing eight decades, while the youngest are in their young adulthood. To ensure a good time for everyone, we have a straightforward principle regarding the ability standard: you can be quick or talented, but preferably not simultaneously. We periodically have players who break this guideline, but usually typically reduce them to our quality over time” – Lars Esbjerg.