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IS THERE REALLY A POSSIBILITY?

If you haven’t seen the video of Iliman Ndiaye pulling off a backwards bouncing trick at Everton’s training ground, it’s worth viewing. Through performing a move so nasty that it would have suited perfectly at a Harlem Globetrotters friendly display, the skill instantly ended what was meant to be a casual practice to wrap up what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how Sunday league footballers can secure a fresh start after being released by professional academies.

Ndiaye, who competed in amateur leagues directly before being picked up by Sheffield United at 19, is expertly placed to address this topic. “Avoid dwelling on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he advised a young player just before deploying said impressive trick on his teammate, in doing so perfectly illustrating the difference between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize.

Ndiaye is far from the only professional footballer to take things that little bit too far. A younger Michael Owen happily embarrassing a young shot-stopper in front of a annoyed Neville Southall is obviously the gold standard in this unique area – but the former Liverpool man is not alone in this. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have reduced toddlers to actual tears with a series of harsh skills, although it’s thought that the latter was at least driven by the Japanese player’s social media regretful message – “this frustration makes a person stronger” – and the related tag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s previous Borussia partners Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the good grace to be defeated against 100 children when the group competed during the interval of their final match for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that contained Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were more competitive when they took on 109 Chinese kids in a similar experiment. But back to the start, 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 harsh truth for toddlers and teenagers across the country.

STREAMING ON POPULAR SITE

Join Scott Murray from 7.45pm GMT for live international football action of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be on clockwatch duty for the remaining evening matches.

FEATURED STATEMENT

“The game guided me but it never abandoned me because I never abandoned my dream. I went from location to location. The devotion to the game drives you. I couldn’t always see where it was taking me. But today I have the solution” – Serbia coach Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his planning to share his career.

FAN FEEDBACK

“Nice to hear that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. Ideally, if he participates in the Bigliest Most Peaceful Cup next year, he’ll research how to navigate the host cities – let’s avoid him being disoriented in New York” – James Humphries.

“Reports indicate that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been prohibited due to potential connection in a gambling controversy. It would be wonderful if that number could be increased 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 agree to be excluded from playing professionally in Turkey (hardly a difficult decision at my age and, um, talent), are there 32 more folks willing to join in my search for harmony?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a daily reader and Florida resident, can I proactively complain about the upcoming week-plus of published letters about which highway 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 entire tale. There’s no satisfying lesson to the tale. (I-4 connects 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 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. Supposedly he was an actor; he had a good left side. (Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis)” – Jason Steger.

“Together with some associates and companions, 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 quality of player: you can be fast or skilled, but preferably not simultaneously. We periodically have players who violate this rule, but usually typically reduce them to our quality over time” – Lars Esbjerg.