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COULD IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN?

Unless you’ve missed the video of Iliman Ndiaye performing a reverse bouncing nutmeg 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 casual practice to wrap up what had been – up to that point – an illuminating interview about how amateur players can earn a second chance after being let go from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being recruited 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 materialize,” he told a young player shortly before using said ninja move on his opponent, in doing so vividly showing the difference between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize.

Ndiaye isn’t the first professional footballer to go slightly overboard. Prime Michael Owen gleefully humiliating a young shot-stopper in front of a fuming Neville Southall is undoubtedly the prime example in this unique area – but the former Liverpool man is not alone in this. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have made young children cry with a series of harsh skills, although it’s believed that the latter was at least driven by the Japanese player’s social media apologetic post – “this frustration makes a person stronger” – and the accompanying hashtag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s ex-BVB colleagues Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the decency to suffer a loss against 100 children when the trio played during the interval of their final match for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured 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 appear in the Premier League, a sobering statistic for toddlers and teenagers across the country.

STREAMING ON POPULAR SITE

Tune in with Scott Murray from evening UK time for real-time tournament updates of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be on clockwatch duty for the rest of the night’s action.

FEATURED STATEMENT

“Football took me but it never left me because I never gave up on my goal. I went from location to location. The passion for soccer drives you. I couldn’t always see where it was leading me. But today I have the answer” – national team manager Veljko Paunovic makes time from his planning to discuss his career.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. With luck, if he participates in the Bigliest Most Peaceful Cup next year, he’ll read up on how to navigate the venue locations – hopefully he won’t get confused in New York” – James Humphries.

“Information shows that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been banned due to suspected participation in a betting scandal. It would be wonderful 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 perfectionists. If I agree to be excluded from playing professionally in Turkey (hardly a difficult decision at my age and, um, ability), are there 32 more folks willing to participate in my quest for symmetry?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a daily reader and Florida resident, can I in advance protest about the coming period of published letters about which road one uses to get to various locations in your island nation? 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 satisfying lesson to the tale. (I-4 connects Tampa on the Gulf Coast to Daytona on the Atlantic via Orlando/Walt Disney World, and can have congestion problems at any time)” – Rasteen Nowroozi.

“Apropos Wythenshawe FC, I recall many years ago playing for a Sunday, very social side, 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. Supposedly 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 most junior are in their twenties. To ensure a enjoyable experience for everyone, we have a simple rule of thumb regarding the ability standard: 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.