🔗 Share this article

YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?

Should you have overlooked the footage of Iliman Ndiaye executing a backwards bouncing trick at Everton’s training ground, you should check it out. Through performing a move so spectacular that it would have suited perfectly at a Harlem Globetrotters friendly display, the skill instantly ended what was meant to be a casual practice to finish what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how Sunday league footballers can get another opportunity after being let go from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who featured in non-league games directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is expertly placed to speak on this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to materialize,” he told a young player shortly before using said spectacular skill on his opponent, in doing so perfectly illustrating the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been attempting to dispel.

Ndiaye is far from the only professional footballer to go slightly overboard. Peak Michael Owen gleefully humiliating a teenage keeper in front of a fuming Neville Southall is undoubtedly the prime example in this unique area – but the ex-Anfield star is not alone in this. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have reduced toddlers to actual tears with a series of merciless tricks, although it’s thought that the latter was at least driven by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “difficulty breeds resilience” – and the accompanying hashtag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s ex-BVB colleagues Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the manners to suffer a loss against 100 children when the group played during the mid-game pause of their final match for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that included Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso showed less mercy when they took on 109 Chinese kids in a comparable scenario. But returning to the beginning, 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.

STREAMING ON POPULAR SITE

Tune in with Scott Murray from 19:45 Greenwich Mean Time for hot Geopolitics World Cup qualifying coverage of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be tracking events for the rest of the night’s action.

FEATURED STATEMENT

“The game guided me but it never deserted me because I never gave up on my goal. I went from location to location. The devotion to the game propels you. I couldn’t always see where it was leading me. But today I have the understanding” – head coach Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his planning to discuss his career.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. With luck, if he goes to the international competition next year, he’ll study how to navigate the host cities – wouldn’t want him to end up lost in New York” – James Humphries.

“Reports indicate that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been prohibited due to alleged involvement in a wagering issue. It would be wonderful if that number could be bumped up to the same level of characteristic precision associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my math, that’s about 33 more pedants. If I offer to be suspended from playing professionally in Turkey (hardly a difficult decision at my age and, um, talent), are there 32 more folks willing to participate in my quest for symmetry?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a daily reader and Florida resident, can I preemptively object about the coming period of published letters about which road one uses to get to various locations in your homeland? I mean, I was stuck in gridlock on I-4 at 2am on a Tuesday night driving through Orlando once, but that’s the whole story. There’s no satisfying lesson to the tale. (I-4 links Tampa on the Gulf Coast to Daytona on the Atlantic via Orlando/Walt Disney World, and can have traffic issues at any time)” – Rasteen Nowroozi.

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

“Together with some co-workers and mates, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our most senior member is nearing eight decades, while the youngest are in their twenties. To ensure a positive atmosphere for everyone, we have a straightforward principle regarding the skill level: you can be quick or talented, but ideally not both. We sometimes have players who violate this rule, but usually typically reduce them to our quality over time” – Lars Esbjerg.