🔗 Share this article Ndiaye, Globetrotters-Style Moves and Sobering Football Stats COULD IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN? If you haven’t seen the clip of Iliman Ndiaye pulling off a reverse bouncing nutmeg at Everton’s training ground, it’s worth viewing. In executing a move so impressive that it would have fit right in at a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition match, the skill immediately shut down what was meant to be a informal game to finish what had been – up to that point – an illuminating interview about how amateur players can get another opportunity after being let go from professional academies. Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is perfectly positioned to discuss 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 opponent, in doing so perfectly illustrating the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize. Ndiaye is far from the only professional footballer to go slightly overboard. Peak Michael Owen happily embarrassing a young shot-stopper in front of a fuming Neville Southall is clearly the benchmark in this specific category – but the former Liverpool man is far from the only offender. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have made young children cry with a series of merciless tricks, although it’s thought that the latter was at least driven by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “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 good grace to lose their match against 100 children when the group competed during the interval of their last appearance for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were not so generous when they took on 109 Chinese kids in a like situation. But returning to the beginning, it’s estimated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing competitive youth leagues in England will ever appear in the Premier League, a harsh truth for young players across the country. STREAMING ON POPULAR SITE Join Scott Murray from evening UK time for live international football action of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be on clockwatch duty for the rest of the night’s action. DAILY HIGHLIGHT “Soccer carried me but it never deserted me because I never gave up on my goal. I went from team to team. The devotion to the game drives you. I couldn’t always see where it was taking me. But today I have the answer” – Serbia coach Veljko Paunovic takes time out from his training to discuss his career. READER CORRESPONDENCE “Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister won’t be excluded by Argentina. With luck, if he participates in the international competition next year, he’ll research how to get about 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 banned due to potential connection in a wagering issue. It would be amazing if that number could be raised to the same level of characteristic precision associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my calculation, that’s about 33 more detail-oriented individuals. If I offer to be suspended from playing professionally in Turkey (hardly a difficult decision at my age and, um, skill level), are there 32 more folks willing to join in my search for balance?” – Mike Wilner. “As a regular follower and Florida resident, can I proactively complain about the next several days 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 entire tale. 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 congestion problems at any time)” – Rasteen Nowroozi. “Concerning Wythenshawe FC, I recollect many years ago playing for a Sunday, very casual team, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke introduced 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 co-workers and mates, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our oldest player is approaching eighty, while the least experienced are in their late-20s. 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 periodically have players who break this guideline, but usually succeed in bringing them to our standard over time” – Lars Esbjerg.