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YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?

If you haven’t seen the video of Iliman Ndiaye executing a backwards bouncing trick at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. Through performing a move so nasty that it would have been appropriate at a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition match, the skill immediately shut down what was meant to be a informal game to conclude what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how amateur players can secure a fresh start after being let go from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being signed by Sheffield United at 19, is expertly placed to speak on this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to materialize,” he informed a young player immediately prior to using said impressive trick on his opponent, in doing so clearly demonstrating the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize.

Ndiaye is far from the only professional footballer to go slightly overboard. A younger Michael Owen cheerfully overwhelming a young shot-stopper in front of a smouldering Neville Southall is clearly the benchmark in this specific category – 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 brutal nutmegs, although it’s thought that the latter was at least inspired by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “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 manners to suffer a loss against 100 children when the three played during the mid-game pause of their farewell game for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were not so generous when they took on 109 Chinese kids in a comparable scenario. But back to the start, it’s estimated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing organized youth football in England will ever play in the Premier League, a sobering statistic for young players across the country.

BROADCAST ON MAJOR PLATFORM

Follow Scott Murray from 19:45 Greenwich Mean Time for live international football action of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be monitoring the action for the other games happening later.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Football took me but it never abandoned me because I never abandoned my dream. I went from location to location. The love of football propels you. I couldn’t always see where it was directing me. But today I have the answer” – head coach Veljko Paunovic makes time from his planning to discuss his career.

FAN FEEDBACK

“Nice to hear that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. Hopefully, if he participates in the Bigliest Most Peaceful Cup next year, he’ll study how to travel around the venue locations – hopefully he won’t get confused in New York” – James Humphries.

“Reports indicate that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been suspended due to alleged involvement in a gambling controversy. It would be wonderful if that number could be bumped up to the same level of usual detail-orientation associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my estimation, that’s about 33 more perfectionists. If I volunteer to be banned from playing professionally in Turkey (not a huge sacrifice at my age and, um, skill level), are there 32 more folks willing to join in my search for symmetry?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a daily reader and Florida resident, can I preemptively object about the upcoming week-plus of published letters about which route 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 entire tale. 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 traffic issues 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 introduced as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who recruited him. Supposedly he was an actor; he had a useful left foot. (Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis)” – Jason Steger.

“Together with some associates and companions, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our oldest player is nearing eight decades, while the least experienced are in their late-20s. To ensure a positive atmosphere for everyone, we have a simple rule of thumb regarding the quality of player: you can be speedy or technical, but ideally not both. We periodically have players who violate this rule, but usually typically reduce them to our quality over time” – Lars Esbjerg.