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IS THERE REALLY A POSSIBILITY?

Unless you’ve missed the footage of Iliman Ndiaye executing a backwards bouncing trick at Everton’s training ground, it’s worth viewing. By pulling off a move so spectacular that it would have fit right in at a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition match, the skill instantly ended what was meant to be a informal game to conclude what had been – up to that point – an informative discussion about how non-professionals can get another opportunity after being let go from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who competed in amateur leagues directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is expertly placed to discuss this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he advised a young player just before deploying said spectacular skill on his teammate, in doing so vividly showing the difference between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been trying to bridge.

Ndiaye joins a list of professional footballer to push the boundaries. A younger Michael Owen happily embarrassing a 13-year-old goalkeeper in front of a annoyed Neville Southall is clearly the benchmark in this particular niche – but the former Liverpool man 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 – “difficulty breeds resilience” – and the related tag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s ex-BVB colleagues Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the decency to be defeated against 100 children when the group played during the interval of their final match for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that contained Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were not so generous when they played against 109 Chinese kids in a comparable scenario. But returning to the beginning, it’s calculated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing structured junior soccer in England will ever appear in the Premier League, a sobering statistic for aspiring footballers across the country.

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Join 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 other games happening later.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Football took me but it never abandoned me because I never gave up on my goal. I went from team to team. The love of football drives you. I couldn’t always see where it was leading me. But today I have the solution” – national team manager Veljko Paunovic takes time out from his preparations to discuss his journey.

FAN FEEDBACK

“Nice to hear that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. Hopefully, if he goes to the international competition next year, he’ll study how to get about the tournament sites – let’s avoid him being disoriented in New York” – James Humphries.

“Information shows that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been prohibited due to suspected participation in a gambling controversy. It would be fantastic if that number could be raised to the same level of typical pedantry associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my calculation, that’s about 33 more detail-oriented individuals. If I volunteer to be banned from playing professionally in Turkey (not much of a loss at my age and, um, skill level), are there 32 more folks willing to join in my search for symmetry?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a regular follower and Florida resident, can I in advance protest about the next several days of published letters about which highway one uses to get to various locations in your island nation? I mean, I was stuck in gridlock 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 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.

“Apropos Wythenshawe FC, I recollect 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 brought him along. Apparently he was an actor; he had a useful left foot. (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 most junior are in their young adulthood. To ensure a enjoyable experience for everyone, we have a basic guideline regarding the skill level: you can be fast or skilled, but ideally not both. We sometimes have players who break this guideline, but usually succeed in bringing them to our standard over time” – Lars Esbjerg.