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COULD IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN?

If you haven’t seen the clip of Iliman Ndiaye executing a backwards bouncing trick at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. By pulling off a move so impressive that it would have fit right in at a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition match, the skill immediately shut down what was meant to be a casual practice to finish what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how non-professionals can secure a fresh start after being dropped from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who competed in amateur leagues directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is ideally suited to address this topic. “Don’t focus on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he advised a young player just before executing said ninja move on his victim, in doing so perfectly illustrating 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 fuming Neville Southall is obviously the gold standard in this specific category – but the ex-Anfield star is not alone in this. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have caused kids to weep with a series of harsh skills, although it’s thought that the latter was at least inspired 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 good grace to suffer a loss against 100 children when the group competed during the interval of their farewell game for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that included Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were more competitive when they faced 109 Chinese kids in a comparable scenario. But back to the start, it’s approximated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing organized youth football in England will ever appear in the Premier League, a stark reality for toddlers and teenagers across the country.

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Tune in with Scott Murray from 7.45pm GMT for real-time tournament updates of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be tracking events for the rest of the night’s action.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Soccer carried me but it never deserted me because I never abandoned my dream. 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 understanding” – national team manager Veljko Paunovic makes time from his training to reflect on his journey.

FAN FEEDBACK

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister isn’t going to be left home alone by Argentina. Ideally, if he goes to the Bigliest Most Peaceful Cup next year, he’ll research how to get about the host cities – hopefully he won’t get confused in New York” – James Humphries.

“Sources state that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been suspended due to potential connection in a betting scandal. It would be fantastic if that number could be increased to the same level of characteristic precision associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my math, that’s about 33 more detail-oriented individuals. If I volunteer to be banned from playing professionally in Turkey (not a huge sacrifice at my age and, um, ability), are there 32 more folks willing to participate in my quest for balance?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a daily reader and Florida resident, can I preemptively object about the upcoming week-plus of published letters about which route one uses to get to various locations in your homeland? I mean, I was delayed in congestion on I-4 at 2am on a Tuesday night driving through Orlando once, but that’s the complete account. 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.

“Regarding 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. Reportedly 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 most junior are in their twenties. To ensure a enjoyable experience for everyone, we have a straightforward principle regarding the ability standard: you can be fast or skilled, but ideally not both. We periodically have players who disregard this principle, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.