🔗 Share this article

IS THERE REALLY A POSSIBILITY?

Should you have overlooked the footage of Iliman Ndiaye executing a backwards bouncing trick at Everton’s training ground, it’s worth viewing. Through performing a move so spectacular that it would have suited perfectly at a Harlem Globetrotters show game, the skill quickly concluded what was meant to be a informal game to conclude what had been – up to that point – an illuminating interview about how non-professionals can earn a second chance after being dropped from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being recruited 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 come through,” he told a young player immediately prior to executing said spectacular skill on his teammate, in doing so clearly demonstrating the difference between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been attempting to dispel.

Ndiaye joins a list of professional footballer to go slightly overboard. Prime Michael Owen gleefully humiliating a teenage keeper in front of a annoyed Neville Southall is clearly the benchmark in this specific category – 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 brutal nutmegs, although it’s believed that the latter was at least motivated by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “this frustration makes a person stronger” – and the associated label of #friendship.

Kagawa’s previous Borussia partners Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the manners to be defeated against 100 children when the trio played during the interval of their last appearance for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were more competitive when they played against 109 Chinese kids in a comparable scenario. But coming full circle, it’s calculated 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 toddlers and teenagers across the country.

BROADCAST ON MAJOR PLATFORM

Follow Scott Murray from 19:45 Greenwich Mean Time for real-time tournament updates of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be monitoring the action for the other games happening later.

DAILY HIGHLIGHT

“The game guided me but it never left me because I never stopped believing. I went from team to team. The devotion to the game carries you. I couldn’t always see where it was directing me. But today I have the solution” – Serbia coach Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his training to share his career.

READER CORRESPONDENCE

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. With luck, if he travels to the international competition next year, he’ll read up on how to navigate the host cities – hopefully he won’t get confused in New York” – James Humphries.

“Information shows that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been suspended due to alleged involvement in a wagering issue. It would be wonderful if that number could be increased to the same level of characteristic precision associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my calculation, that’s about 33 more pedants. If I volunteer to be banned from playing professionally in Turkey (not much of a loss at my age and, um, ability), 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 coming period of published letters about which route 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 complete account. 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.

“Concerning Wythenshawe FC, I recall many years ago playing for a Sunday, very recreational club, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke introduced as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who recruited him. Apparently he was an actor; he had a useful left foot. (Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis)” – Jason Steger.

“Together with some co-workers and mates, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our most senior member is pushing 80, while the youngest are in their young adulthood. To ensure a positive atmosphere for everyone, we have a basic guideline regarding the ability standard: you can be fast or skilled, but preferably not both. We occasionally have players who break this guideline, but usually succeed in bringing them to our standard over time” – Lars Esbjerg.