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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, you should check it out. Through performing a move so impressive that it would have been appropriate at a Harlem Globetrotters show game, the skill quickly concluded what was meant to be a casual practice to wrap up what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how amateur players can earn a second chance after being released by professional academies.

Ndiaye, who featured in non-league games directly before being signed by Sheffield United at 19, is ideally suited to address this topic. “Avoid dwelling on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he informed a young player immediately prior to executing said impressive trick on his opponent, in doing so vividly showing the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been trying to bridge.

Ndiaye is far from the only professional footballer to push the boundaries. A younger Michael Owen cheerfully overwhelming a young shot-stopper in front of a annoyed Neville Southall is obviously the gold standard in this particular niche – but the ex-Anfield star is just one of many culprits. 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 driven by the Japanese player’s social media regretful message – “setbacks build character” – and the related tag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s former Dortmund teammates Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the decency to be defeated against 100 children when the three lined up during the mid-game pause of their farewell game for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that contained Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso showed less mercy when they played against 109 Chinese kids in a similar experiment. But back to the start, it’s estimated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing structured junior soccer in England will ever feature in the Premier League, a harsh truth for young players 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 tracking events for the remaining evening matches.

FEATURED STATEMENT

“The game guided me but it never deserted me because I never abandoned my dream. I went from place to place. The love of football drives you. I couldn’t always see where it was directing me. But today I have the understanding” – national team manager Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his preparations to discuss his career.

FAN FEEDBACK

“Pleasant to learn that Kevin Mac Allister won’t be excluded by Argentina. With luck, if he participates in the Bigliest Most Peaceful Cup next year, he’ll read up on how to travel around 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 banned due to suspected participation in a wagering issue. It would be amazing if that number could be increased to the same level of usual detail-orientation 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, ability), 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 next several days of published letters about which highway one uses to get to various locations in your country? 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 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.

“Apropos 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 invited him. Apparently he was an actor; he had a decent left foot. (Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis)” – Jason Steger.

“Together with some colleagues and friends, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our oldest player is approaching eighty, while the most junior are in their young adulthood. To ensure a good time 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 break this guideline, but usually succeed in bringing them to our standard over time” – Lars Esbjerg.