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YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?

If you haven’t seen the footage of Iliman Ndiaye pulling off a unusual dribbling move at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. 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 informal game to wrap up what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how amateur players can get another opportunity after being let go from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being signed by Sheffield United at 19, is perfectly positioned to address this topic. “Avoid dwelling on the rejection and one day your luck is going to arrive,” he told a young player immediately prior to executing said impressive trick on his victim, in doing so vividly showing the gulf between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been trying to bridge.

Ndiaye is far from the only professional footballer to take things that little bit too far. Prime Michael Owen happily embarrassing a 13-year-old goalkeeper in front of a smouldering Neville Southall is obviously the gold standard in this particular niche – but the one-time Reds forward is not alone in this. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have caused kids to weep with a series of harsh skills, although it’s believed that the latter was at least inspired by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “difficulty breeds resilience” – and the accompanying hashtag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s former Dortmund teammates Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the good grace 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 included Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso showed less mercy when they took on 109 Chinese kids in a comparable scenario. But coming full circle, it’s estimated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing organized youth football in England will ever appear in the Premier League, a stark reality for young players across the country.

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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 other games happening later.

DAILY HIGHLIGHT

“Soccer carried me but it never abandoned me because I never stopped believing. I went from place to place. The devotion to the game carries you. I couldn’t always see where it was leading me. But today I have the understanding” – Serbia coach Veljko Paunovic takes time out from his preparations to reflect on his journey.

FAN FEEDBACK

“Nice to hear that Kevin Mac Allister won’t be excluded by Argentina. With luck, if he travels to the international competition next year, he’ll study how to navigate the tournament sites – 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 suspended due to potential connection in a betting scandal. 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 estimation, that’s about 33 more pedants. If I volunteer to be banned from playing professionally in Turkey (hardly a difficult decision at my age and, um, skill level), are there 32 more folks willing to join in my search for symmetry?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a frequent consumer and Florida resident, can I proactively complain about the coming period of published letters about which route one uses to get to various locations in your island nation? I mean, I was caught in a traffic jam 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 links Tampa on the Gulf Coast to Daytona on the Atlantic via Orlando/Walt Disney World, and can have delays at any time)” – Rasteen Nowroozi.

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

“Together with some associates and companions, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our oldest player is approaching eighty, while the least experienced are in their young adulthood. To ensure a enjoyable experience for everyone, we have a straightforward principle regarding the ability standard: you can be fast or skilled, but ideally not both. We periodically have players who violate this rule, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.