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YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?

Unless you’ve missed the footage of Iliman Ndiaye pulling off a reverse bouncing nutmeg at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. By pulling off a move so nasty that it would have suited perfectly at a Harlem Globetrotters friendly display, the skill immediately shut down what was meant to be a casual practice to conclude 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 competed in amateur leagues directly before being signed by Sheffield United at 19, is ideally suited to discuss this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he told a young player immediately prior to deploying said ninja move on his teammate, in doing so perfectly illustrating the gulf between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been trying to bridge.

Ndiaye isn’t the first professional footballer to take things that little bit too far. Prime Michael Owen gleefully humiliating a teenage keeper in front of a smouldering Neville Southall is undoubtedly the prime example 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 merciless tricks, although it’s considered that the latter was at least motivated by the Japanese player’s social media apologetic post – “this frustration makes a person stronger” – and the related tag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s ex-BVB colleagues Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the decency to suffer a loss against 100 children when the trio played during the mid-game pause of their last appearance for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that included Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were more competitive when they took on 109 Chinese kids in a similar experiment. But returning to the beginning, it’s calculated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing competitive youth leagues in England will ever appear in the Premier League, a sobering statistic for aspiring footballers across the country.

STREAMING ON POPULAR SITE

Tune in with Scott Murray from 19:45 Greenwich Mean Time for live international football action of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be on clockwatch duty for the remaining evening matches.

FEATURED STATEMENT

“The game guided me but it never deserted me because I never gave up on my goal. I went from team to team. The passion for soccer carries you. I couldn’t always see where it was taking me. But today I have the answer” – national team manager Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his preparations to discuss his journey.

READER CORRESPONDENCE

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. Hopefully, if he travels to the international competition next year, he’ll research 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 gambling controversy. It would be wonderful 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 math, that’s about 33 more pedants. If I agree to be excluded from playing professionally in Turkey (hardly a difficult decision at my age and, um, ability), are there 32 more folks willing to assist my effort for balance?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a regular follower and Florida resident, can I proactively complain about the upcoming week-plus of published letters about which route 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 complete account. There’s no satisfying lesson to the tale. (I-4 joins 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.

“Concerning Wythenshawe FC, I recall many years ago playing for a Sunday, very recreational club, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke known as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who brought him along. Apparently 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 oldest player is pushing 80, while the most junior are in their twenties. To ensure a positive atmosphere for everyone, we have a basic guideline regarding the skill level: you can be fast or skilled, but ideally not both. We occasionally have players who violate this rule, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.