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YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?

If you haven’t seen the footage of Iliman Ndiaye pulling off a unusual dribbling move at Everton’s training ground, you should check it out. In executing a move so spectacular that it would have been appropriate at a Harlem Globetrotters friendly display, the skill immediately shut down what was meant to be a informal game to conclude what had been – up to that point – an illuminating interview about how Sunday league footballers can secure a fresh start after being let go from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who featured in non-league games directly before being picked up by Sheffield United at 19, is expertly placed to discuss this topic. “Avoid dwelling on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he advised a young player just before deploying said impressive trick on his opponent, in doing so vividly showing the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been attempting to dispel.

Ndiaye isn’t the first professional footballer to push the boundaries. A younger Michael Owen happily embarrassing a young shot-stopper in front of a annoyed Neville Southall is clearly the benchmark in this particular niche – but the ex-Anfield star is not alone in this. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have reduced toddlers to actual tears with a series of harsh skills, although it’s believed that the latter was at least inspired 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 lose their match against 100 children when the three competed 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 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 organized youth football in England will ever play in the Premier League, a harsh truth for aspiring footballers across the country.

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Tune in with 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 rest of the night’s action.

DAILY HIGHLIGHT

“The game guided me but it never abandoned me because I never stopped believing. I went from location to location. 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 preparations to discuss his path.

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“As a regular follower and Florida resident, can I preemptively object about the next several days of published letters about which road one uses to get to various locations in your homeland? I mean, I was delayed in congestion on I-4 at 2am on a Tuesday night driving through Orlando once, but that’s the entire tale. There’s no satisfying lesson to the tale. (I-4 links 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 recall many years ago playing for a Sunday, very casual team, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke known as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who brought him along. 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 most experienced participant is pushing 80, while the most junior are in their young adulthood. To ensure a good time for everyone, we have a basic guideline regarding the quality of player: you can be speedy or technical, but preferably not simultaneously. We periodically have players who break this guideline, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.