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YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?

If you haven’t seen the footage of Iliman Ndiaye performing a reverse bouncing nutmeg at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. Through performing a move so nasty that it would have suited perfectly at a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition match, the skill immediately shut down what was meant to be a casual practice to wrap up what had been – up to that point – an informative discussion about how Sunday league footballers can secure a fresh start after being dropped from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who featured in non-league games directly before being picked up 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 materialize,” he informed a young player just before executing said spectacular skill on his teammate, in doing so clearly demonstrating 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 cheerfully overwhelming a young shot-stopper in front of a smouldering Neville Southall is undoubtedly the prime example in this particular niche – but the former Liverpool man is far from the only offender. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have made young children cry with a series of merciless tricks, although it’s considered that the latter was at least inspired by the Japanese player’s social media regretful message – “difficulty breeds resilience” – and the accompanying hashtag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s previous Borussia partners Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the good grace to lose their match against 100 children when the trio lined up during the half-time break of their farewell game 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 coming full circle, it’s calculated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing structured junior soccer in England will ever play in the Premier League, a sobering statistic for aspiring footballers across the country.

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DAILY HIGHLIGHT

“Soccer carried me but it never left me because I never abandoned my dream. I went from place to place. The passion for soccer propels you. I couldn’t always see where it was directing me. But today I have the understanding” – head coach Veljko Paunovic makes time from his training to share his path.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

“Pleasant to learn that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. With luck, if he goes to the Bigliest Most Peaceful Cup next year, he’ll study how to get about the tournament sites – let’s avoid him being disoriented in New York” – James Humphries.

“Reports indicate that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been prohibited due to suspected participation in a betting scandal. It would be wonderful 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 math, that’s about 33 more perfectionists. 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 participate in my quest for symmetry?” – 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 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 meaningful conclusion to the tale. (I-4 connects 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.

“Regarding Wythenshawe FC, I remember many years ago playing for a Sunday, very recreational club, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke presented as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who brought him along. Apparently 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 most experienced participant is pushing 80, while the least experienced are in their late-20s. To ensure a good time for everyone, we have a straightforward principle regarding the skill level: you can be speedy or technical, 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.