Ndiaye, Harlem Globetrotters-Level Moves and Sobering Football Stats

YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?

If you haven’t seen the footage of Iliman Ndiaye executing a reverse bouncing nutmeg at Everton’s training ground, it’s worth viewing. By pulling off a move so impressive that it would have fit right in at a Harlem Globetrotters friendly display, the skill instantly ended what was meant to be a casual practice to finish what had been – up to that point – an illuminating interview about how Sunday league footballers can earn a second chance after being released by professional academies.

Ndiaye, who featured in non-league games directly before being picked up by Sheffield United at 19, is perfectly positioned to discuss this topic. “Avoid dwelling on the rejection and one day your luck is going to materialize,” he advised a young player just before deploying said impressive trick on his opponent, in doing so vividly showing the gulf between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been attempting to dispel.

Ndiaye is far from the only professional footballer to go slightly overboard. Peak Michael Owen cheerfully overwhelming a 13-year-old goalkeeper in front of a smouldering Neville Southall is undoubtedly the prime example in this unique area – but the one-time Reds forward is far from the only offender. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have reduced toddlers to actual tears with a series of brutal nutmegs, although it’s thought that the latter was at least inspired by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “difficulty breeds resilience” – and the accompanying hashtag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s ex-BVB colleagues Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the manners to suffer a loss against 100 children when the group lined up during the interval of their final match for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that included Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso showed less mercy when they took on 109 Chinese kids in a similar experiment. But returning to the beginning, it’s approximated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing competitive youth leagues in England will ever appear in the Premier League, a sobering statistic for toddlers and teenagers across the country.

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Tune in with Scott Murray from evening UK time for live international football action of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be tracking events for the remaining evening matches.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The game guided me but it never deserted me because I never abandoned my dream. I went from team to team. The love of football propels you. I couldn’t always see where it was taking me. But today I have the answer” – head coach Veljko Paunovic takes time out from his training to discuss his path.

FAN FEEDBACK

“Nice to hear that Kevin Mac Allister isn’t going to be left home alone by Argentina. With luck, if he goes to the Bigliest Most Peaceful Cup next year, he’ll research 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 alleged involvement in a gambling controversy. It would be fantastic if that number could be increased to the same level of typical pedantry 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 participate in my quest for symmetry?” – 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 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 entire tale. There’s no meaningful conclusion to the tale. (I-4 links 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 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 invited him. Supposedly he was an actor; he had a good left side. (Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis)” – Jason Steger.

“Together with some associates and companions, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our oldest player is approaching eighty, while the most junior are in their twenties. To ensure a positive atmosphere for everyone, we have a basic guideline regarding the quality of player: you can be speedy or technical, but preferably not both. We periodically have players who break this guideline, but usually typically reduce them to our quality over time” – Lars Esbjerg.