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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 backwards bouncing trick at Everton’s training ground, it’s worth viewing. By pulling off a move so nasty 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 finish what had been – up to that point – an informative discussion about how amateur players can get another opportunity after being released by professional academies.

Ndiaye, who competed in amateur leagues directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is expertly placed to discuss this topic. “Don’t focus 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 gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize.

Ndiaye isn’t the first professional footballer to push the boundaries. A younger Michael Owen happily embarrassing a 13-year-old goalkeeper in front of a smouldering Neville Southall is clearly the benchmark in this unique area – but the one-time Reds forward is not alone in this. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have made young children cry with a series of merciless tricks, although it’s thought that the latter was at least motivated by the Japanese player’s social media regretful message – “difficulty breeds resilience” – and the related tag 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 group played during the interval of their last appearance for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that included Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso showed less mercy when they played against 109 Chinese kids in a like situation. But returning to the beginning, it’s approximated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing competitive youth leagues in England will ever play in the Premier League, a stark reality for toddlers and teenagers across the country.

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Follow Scott Murray from 7.45pm GMT for hot Geopolitics World Cup qualifying coverage of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be monitoring the action for the other games happening later.

FEATURED STATEMENT

“Football took me but it never abandoned me because I never stopped believing. I went from location to location. The devotion to the game drives you. I couldn’t always see where it was directing me. But today I have the understanding” – Serbia coach Veljko Paunovic takes time out from his planning to reflect on his journey.

FAN FEEDBACK

“Pleasant to learn that Kevin Mac Allister won’t be excluded by Argentina. Ideally, if he travels to the major tournament next year, he’ll study how to navigate the venue locations – let’s avoid him being disoriented in New York” – James Humphries.

“Reports indicate that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been suspended due to alleged involvement in a betting scandal. It would be fantastic if that number could be increased to the same level of characteristic precision associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my calculation, that’s about 33 more detail-oriented individuals. 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 join in my search for harmony?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a daily reader and Florida resident, can I proactively complain about the next several days of published letters about which road one uses to get to various locations in your homeland? I mean, I was delayed in congestion on I-4 at 2am on a Tuesday night driving through Orlando once, but that’s the complete account. There’s no rewarding moral to the tale. (I-4 connects Tampa on the Gulf Coast to Daytona on the Atlantic via Orlando/Walt Disney World, and can have delays at any time)” – Rasteen Nowroozi.

“Apropos Wythenshawe FC, I remember 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 invited him. Apparently 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 experienced participant is nearing eight decades, while the youngest are in their young adulthood. To ensure a good time for everyone, we have a simple rule of thumb regarding the ability standard: you can be fast or skilled, but preferably not both. We periodically have players who break this guideline, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.