🔗 Share this article

YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?

Should you have overlooked the clip of Iliman Ndiaye executing a backwards bouncing trick at Everton’s training ground, you should check it out. In executing a move so impressive that it would have suited perfectly at a Harlem Globetrotters show game, the skill immediately shut down what was meant to be a informal game to wrap up what had been – up to that point – an illuminating interview about how amateur players can get another opportunity after being released by professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is perfectly positioned to address this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to arrive,” he advised a young player immediately prior to using said spectacular skill on his victim, in doing so clearly demonstrating the difference between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize.

Ndiaye is far from the only professional footballer to take things that little bit too far. Prime Michael Owen gleefully humiliating a teenage keeper in front of a annoyed Neville Southall is obviously the gold standard in this specific category – but the former Liverpool man is just one of many culprits. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have caused kids to weep with a series of merciless tricks, although it’s believed that the latter was at least motivated by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “this frustration makes a person stronger” – and the associated label of #friendship.

Kagawa’s ex-BVB colleagues Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the good grace to lose their match against 100 children when the three played during the half-time break of their last appearance for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso showed less mercy when they faced 109 Chinese kids in a comparable scenario. But back to the start, it’s approximated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing organized youth football in England will ever appear in the Premier League, a sobering statistic for aspiring footballers across the country.

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

Join Scott Murray from 7.45pm GMT for live international football action of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be on clockwatch duty for the remaining evening matches.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Football took me but it never left me because I never stopped believing. I went from place to place. The devotion to the game drives you. I couldn’t always see where it was leading me. But today I have the answer” – national team manager Veljko Paunovic makes time from his planning to reflect on his path.

READER CORRESPONDENCE

“Nice to hear that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. Ideally, if he travels to the international competition next year, he’ll read up on how to travel around the host cities – let’s avoid him being disoriented in New York” – James Humphries.

“Information shows that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been suspended due to potential connection in a wagering issue. It would be wonderful if that number could be increased to the same level of characteristic precision associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my estimation, that’s about 33 more detail-oriented individuals. If I volunteer to be banned from playing professionally in Turkey (hardly a difficult decision at my age and, um, talent), are there 32 more folks willing to assist my effort for symmetry?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a frequent consumer and Florida resident, can I proactively complain about the upcoming week-plus 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 entire tale. There’s no meaningful conclusion to the tale. (I-4 links 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.

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

“Together with some colleagues and friends, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our most senior member is pushing 80, while the least experienced are in their twenties. To ensure a good time for everyone, we have a basic guideline regarding the ability standard: you can be fast or skilled, but preferably not simultaneously. We periodically have players who break this guideline, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.