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YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?

Unless you’ve missed the video of Iliman Ndiaye executing a backwards bouncing trick at Everton’s training ground, it’s worth viewing. In executing a move so spectacular that it would have fit right in at a Harlem Globetrotters friendly display, the skill quickly concluded what was meant to be a lighthearted kickabout to wrap up what had been – up to that point – an informative discussion about how amateur players can earn a second chance after being dropped from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who competed in amateur leagues directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is expertly placed to speak on this topic. “Don’t focus on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he advised a young player immediately prior to deploying said ninja move on his teammate, in doing so perfectly illustrating the difference between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize.

Ndiaye isn’t the first professional footballer to go slightly overboard. A younger Michael Owen happily embarrassing a young shot-stopper in front of a fuming Neville Southall is clearly the benchmark in this unique area – but the ex-Anfield star is just one of many culprits. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have reduced toddlers to actual tears with a series of harsh skills, although it’s thought that the latter was at least driven by the Japanese player’s social media regretful message – “setbacks build character” – and the accompanying hashtag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s former Dortmund teammates Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the good grace to suffer a loss against 100 children when the three competed during the half-time break of their final match for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that contained Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were more competitive when they faced 109 Chinese kids in a similar experiment. But returning to the beginning, it’s estimated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing competitive youth leagues in England will ever play in the Premier League, a sobering statistic for young players across the country.

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Tune in with 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 rest of the night’s action.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Soccer carried me but it never abandoned me because I never abandoned my dream. I went from location to location. The passion for soccer drives you. I couldn’t always see where it was leading me. But today I have the solution” – national team manager Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his planning to reflect on his path.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

“Nice to hear that Kevin Mac Allister won’t be excluded by Argentina. Hopefully, if he goes to the major tournament next year, he’ll read up on how to navigate 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 prohibited due to suspected participation in a betting scandal. It would be amazing if that number could be bumped up to the same level of typical pedantry associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my math, that’s about 33 more perfectionists. If I agree to be excluded 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 balance?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a daily reader and Florida resident, can I proactively complain about the upcoming week-plus of published letters about which road 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 entire tale. There’s no rewarding moral 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.

“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 known as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who recruited 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 approaching eighty, while the least experienced are in their young adulthood. To ensure a positive atmosphere for everyone, we have a straightforward principle regarding the quality of player: you can be fast or skilled, but preferably not both. We periodically have players who disregard this principle, but usually typically reduce them to our quality over time” – Lars Esbjerg.