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COULD IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN?

Unless you’ve missed the clip of Iliman Ndiaye executing a backwards bouncing trick at Everton’s training ground, it’s worth viewing. In executing a move so impressive that it would have fit right in at a Harlem Globetrotters show game, the skill quickly concluded what was meant to be a casual practice to wrap up what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how non-professionals 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 discuss this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he advised a young player shortly before deploying said impressive trick on his teammate, in doing so vividly showing the difference 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. Peak Michael Owen happily embarrassing a teenage keeper in front of a smouldering Neville Southall is obviously the gold standard in this specific category – but the former Liverpool man 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 thought that the latter was at least motivated by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “setbacks build character” – and the related tag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s previous Borussia partners 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 faced 109 Chinese kids in a like situation. 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 toddlers and teenagers across the country.

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Join Scott Murray from 19:45 Greenwich Mean Time for hot Geopolitics World Cup qualifying coverage of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be monitoring the action for the remaining evening matches.

FEATURED STATEMENT

“Soccer carried me but it never left me because I never gave up on my goal. I went from place to place. The passion for soccer propels you. I couldn’t always see where it was taking me. But today I have the answer” – national team manager Veljko Paunovic takes time out from his planning to discuss his journey.

FAN FEEDBACK

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister isn’t going to be left home alone by Argentina. Ideally, if he participates in the Bigliest Most Peaceful Cup next year, he’ll research how to get about the host cities – wouldn’t want him to end up lost in New York” – James Humphries.

“Sources state that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been suspended due to alleged involvement in a gambling controversy. It would be fantastic if that number could be raised to the same level of usual detail-orientation associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my calculation, that’s about 33 more pedants. If I agree to be excluded from playing professionally in Turkey (not a huge sacrifice at my age and, um, ability), are there 32 more folks willing to participate in my quest for harmony?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a regular follower and Florida resident, can I preemptively object about the upcoming week-plus of published letters about which highway one uses to get to various locations in your homeland? 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 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 congestion problems at any time)” – Rasteen Nowroozi.

“Concerning Wythenshawe FC, I remember 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 useful 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 nearing eight decades, while the youngest are in their young adulthood. To ensure a positive atmosphere for everyone, we have a basic guideline regarding the quality of player: you can be quick or talented, but preferably not both. We occasionally have players who violate this rule, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.