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YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?

Unless you’ve missed the clip of Iliman Ndiaye performing a unusual dribbling move at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. By pulling off a move so nasty that it would have been appropriate at a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition match, the skill quickly concluded what was meant to be a lighthearted kickabout to conclude what had been – up to that point – an informative discussion about how non-professionals can earn a second chance after being released by professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is ideally suited to discuss this topic. “Don’t focus on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he told a young player immediately prior to using said spectacular skill on his teammate, in doing so perfectly illustrating the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize.

Ndiaye is far from the only professional footballer to push the boundaries. Prime Michael Owen cheerfully overwhelming a 13-year-old goalkeeper in front of a smouldering Neville Southall is undoubtedly the prime example in this specific category – but the one-time Reds forward is not alone in this. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have reduced toddlers to actual tears with a series of merciless tricks, although it’s thought that the latter was at least driven by the Japanese player’s social media regretful message – “difficulty breeds resilience” – and the accompanying hashtag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s ex-BVB colleagues Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the decency to lose their match against 100 children when the trio competed during the mid-game pause of their last appearance for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that contained Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were more competitive when they took on 109 Chinese kids in a like situation. But coming full circle, it’s calculated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing structured junior soccer in England will ever appear in the Premier League, a harsh truth for aspiring footballers across the country.

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Join Scott Murray from evening UK time 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

“Soccer carried me but it never abandoned me because I never abandoned my dream. 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 makes time from his preparations to reflect on his career.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

“Pleasant to learn that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. Ideally, if he travels to the Bigliest Most Peaceful Cup next year, he’ll study how to navigate the host cities – hopefully he won’t get confused in New York” – James Humphries.

“Reports indicate that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been banned due to potential connection in a betting scandal. It would be fantastic if that number could be raised to the same level of characteristic precision associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my calculation, that’s about 33 more perfectionists. If I offer to be suspended from playing professionally in Turkey (not a huge sacrifice at my age and, um, skill level), are there 32 more folks willing to assist my effort for symmetry?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a daily reader and Florida resident, can I preemptively object about the coming period of published letters about which highway one uses to get to various locations in your country? 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 delays at any time)” – Rasteen Nowroozi.

“Concerning Wythenshawe FC, I remember many years ago playing for a Sunday, very recreational club, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke introduced 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 colleagues and friends, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our most experienced participant is nearing eight decades, while the least experienced are in their young adulthood. To ensure a positive atmosphere for everyone, we have a simple rule of thumb regarding the skill level: you can be fast or skilled, but ideally not both. We sometimes have players who violate this rule, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.