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COULD IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN?

If you haven’t seen the video of Iliman Ndiaye pulling off a unusual dribbling move at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. Through performing a move so impressive that it would have fit right in 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 illuminating interview about how non-professionals can secure a fresh start after being dropped from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is expertly placed to speak on this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to arrive,” he told a young player immediately prior to deploying said ninja move on his opponent, in doing so perfectly illustrating the difference between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been trying to bridge.

Ndiaye isn’t the first professional footballer to take things that little bit too far. Peak Michael Owen happily embarrassing a teenage keeper in front of a annoyed Neville Southall is obviously the gold standard in this particular niche – 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 believed that the latter was at least driven by the Japanese player’s social media regretful message – “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 manners to lose their match against 100 children when the three lined up during the half-time break of their final match for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured 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 calculated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing organized youth football in England will ever feature in the Premier League, a harsh truth for aspiring footballers across the country.

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DAILY HIGHLIGHT

“Football took me but it never left me because I never abandoned my dream. I went from team to team. The passion for soccer propels you. I couldn’t always see where it was taking me. But today I have the answer” – Serbia coach Veljko Paunovic makes time from his training to share his career.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister isn’t going to be left home alone by Argentina. Ideally, if he participates in the major tournament next year, he’ll research how to travel around the host cities – hopefully he won’t get confused in New York” – James Humphries.

“Reports indicate that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been banned due to suspected participation in a gambling controversy. It would be amazing if that number could be increased to the same level of typical pedantry associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my estimation, that’s about 33 more perfectionists. If I agree to be excluded from playing professionally in Turkey (not a huge sacrifice at my age and, um, skill level), are there 32 more folks willing to assist my effort for symmetry?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a regular follower and Florida resident, can I proactively complain about the coming period 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 entire tale. There’s no satisfying lesson to the tale. (I-4 joins 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 social side, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke presented as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who recruited him. Apparently 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 most junior are in their late-20s. To ensure a enjoyable experience for everyone, we have a straightforward principle regarding the ability standard: you can be speedy or technical, but preferably not simultaneously. We sometimes have players who disregard this principle, but usually succeed in bringing them to our standard over time” – Lars Esbjerg.