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IS THERE REALLY A POSSIBILITY?

If you haven’t seen the video of Iliman Ndiaye executing a reverse bouncing nutmeg at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. 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 lighthearted kickabout to finish what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how amateur players can get another opportunity after being released by professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being signed 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 arrive,” he advised a young player just before deploying said ninja move on his victim, in doing so perfectly illustrating the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been trying to bridge.

Ndiaye joins a list of professional footballer to go slightly overboard. A younger Michael Owen gleefully humiliating a teenage keeper in front of a annoyed Neville Southall is clearly the benchmark in this specific category – 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 brutal nutmegs, although it’s considered that the latter was at least inspired by the Japanese player’s social media regretful message – “setbacks build character” – and the related tag 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 group 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 calculated 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 aspiring footballers across the country.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Soccer carried me but it never abandoned me because I never abandoned my dream. I went from place to place. The love of football propels you. I couldn’t always see where it was directing me. But today I have the understanding” – head coach Veljko Paunovic makes time from his training to reflect on his career.

READER CORRESPONDENCE

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister isn’t going to be left home alone by Argentina. Ideally, if he travels to the Bigliest Most Peaceful Cup next year, he’ll study how to travel around the tournament sites – let’s avoid him being disoriented in New York” – James Humphries.

“Information shows that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been suspended due to suspected participation in a gambling controversy. It would be fantastic if that number could be bumped up to the same level of characteristic precision associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my calculation, that’s about 33 more pedants. If I offer to be suspended from playing professionally in Turkey (not much of a loss at my age and, um, ability), are there 32 more folks willing to join in my search for balance?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a daily reader 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 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 whole story. There’s no rewarding moral to the tale. (I-4 connects 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.

“Concerning Wythenshawe FC, I recall many years ago playing for a Sunday, very social side, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke introduced as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who brought him along. Apparently he was an actor; he had a good left side. (Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis)” – Jason Steger.

“Together with some co-workers and mates, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our most experienced participant is approaching eighty, while the least experienced are in their young adulthood. To ensure a good time for everyone, we have a simple rule of thumb regarding the ability standard: you can be fast or skilled, but preferably not simultaneously. We periodically have players who disregard this principle, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.