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YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?

Unless you’ve missed the video of Iliman Ndiaye executing a unusual dribbling move 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 instantly ended what was meant to be a casual practice to finish what had been – up to that point – an informative discussion about how Sunday league footballers can secure a fresh start after being let go from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who featured in non-league games directly before being picked up by Sheffield United at 19, is perfectly positioned to speak on this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to materialize,” he informed a young player just before executing said spectacular skill on his teammate, in doing so vividly showing the difference between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been attempting to dispel.

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 unique area – but the ex-Anfield star is far from the only offender. 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 motivated by the Japanese player’s social media apologetic post – “difficulty breeds resilience” – and the associated label of #friendship.

Kagawa’s former Dortmund teammates Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the decency to suffer a loss against 100 children when the trio competed during the mid-game pause of their farewell game for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that included Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso showed less mercy when they faced 109 Chinese kids in a like situation. But coming full circle, it’s approximated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing competitive youth leagues in England will ever feature in the Premier League, a harsh truth for young players across the country.

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Follow Scott Murray from 7.45pm GMT 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.

FEATURED STATEMENT

“The game guided me but it never left me because I never stopped believing. I went from team to team. The love of football carries you. I couldn’t always see where it was leading me. But today I have the solution” – Serbia coach Veljko Paunovic takes time out from his training to discuss his journey.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister won’t be excluded by Argentina. Ideally, if he participates in the international competition next year, he’ll study how to get about the venue locations – wouldn’t want him to end up lost 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 amazing if that number could be bumped up to the same level of usual detail-orientation associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my math, that’s about 33 more pedants. If I volunteer to be banned from playing professionally in Turkey (not a huge sacrifice at my age and, um, talent), are there 32 more folks willing to join in my search for symmetry?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a frequent consumer and Florida resident, can I proactively complain about the upcoming week-plus of published letters about which road one uses to get to various locations in your homeland? 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 complete account. There’s no satisfying lesson 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.

“Apropos 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 invited him. Apparently he was an actor; he had a good left side. (Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis)” – Jason Steger.

“Together with some colleagues and friends, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our most senior member is nearing eight decades, while the least experienced are in their twenties. To ensure a good time for everyone, we have a simple rule of thumb regarding the ability standard: you can be speedy or technical, but preferably not both. We occasionally have players who violate this rule, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.