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IS THERE REALLY A POSSIBILITY?

If you haven’t seen the footage of Iliman Ndiaye executing a reverse bouncing nutmeg at Everton’s training ground, it’s worth viewing. Through performing a move so spectacular that it would have been appropriate at a Harlem Globetrotters show game, the skill immediately shut down what was meant to be a casual practice to finish what had been – up to that point – an informative discussion about how non-professionals can get another opportunity after being dropped from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being signed by Sheffield United at 19, is ideally suited 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 immediately prior to executing said impressive trick on his teammate, in doing so clearly demonstrating the gulf between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been attempting to dispel.

Ndiaye is far from the only professional footballer to take things that little bit too far. Prime Michael Owen gleefully humiliating a young shot-stopper in front of a smouldering Neville Southall is undoubtedly the prime example in this unique area – but the one-time Reds forward is not alone in this. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have made young children cry with a series of merciless tricks, although it’s considered that the latter was at least inspired by the Japanese player’s social media regretful message – “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 manners to lose their match against 100 children when the three played during the half-time break of their final match for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that included 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 approximated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing structured junior soccer in England will ever feature in the Premier League, a sobering statistic for aspiring footballers across the country.

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Tune in with 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 remaining evening matches.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Soccer carried me but it never left me because I never stopped believing. I went from location to location. The devotion to the game propels you. I couldn’t always see where it was taking me. But today I have the solution” – head coach Veljko Paunovic makes time from his training to share his career.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. Hopefully, if he goes to the major tournament next year, he’ll research how to travel around the host cities – let’s avoid him being disoriented in New York” – James Humphries.

“Sources state that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been prohibited due to potential connection in a betting scandal. It would be wonderful if that number could be raised to the same level of characteristic precision associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my estimation, that’s about 33 more detail-oriented individuals. If I agree to be excluded from playing professionally in Turkey (not much of a loss at my age and, um, skill level), are there 32 more folks willing to participate in my quest for harmony?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a regular follower and Florida resident, can I in advance protest about the coming period of published letters about which highway one uses to get to various locations in your homeland? 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 rewarding moral to the tale. (I-4 joins 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 recall many years ago playing for a Sunday, very casual team, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke known as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who recruited him. Reportedly 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 oldest player is nearing eight decades, while the least experienced are in their twenties. To ensure a positive atmosphere for everyone, we have a basic guideline regarding the ability standard: you can be speedy or technical, but preferably not both. We sometimes have players who violate this rule, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.