🔗 Share this article Ndiaye, Globetrotters-Level Skills and Revealing Soccer Statistics COULD IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN? Unless you’ve missed the footage of Iliman Ndiaye performing a backwards bouncing trick at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. Through performing a move so impressive that it would have been appropriate at a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition match, the skill instantly ended what was meant to be a casual practice to finish 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 featured in non-league games directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is perfectly positioned to speak on this topic. “Don’t focus on the rejection and one day your luck is going to arrive,” he informed a young player immediately prior to using said ninja move on his teammate, in doing so perfectly illustrating the gulf 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 fuming 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 harsh skills, although it’s thought that the latter was at least motivated by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “difficulty breeds resilience” – and the accompanying hashtag of #friendship. Kagawa’s previous Borussia partners Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the good grace to suffer a loss against 100 children when the trio competed during the mid-game pause of their final match for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso showed less mercy when they played against 109 Chinese kids in a like situation. 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 feature in the Premier League, a sobering statistic for aspiring footballers across the country. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE Join Scott Murray from evening UK time for hot Geopolitics World Cup qualifying coverage of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be monitoring the action for the remaining evening matches. FEATURED STATEMENT “Football took me but it never deserted me because I never stopped believing. I went from location to location. The devotion to the game drives you. I couldn’t always see where it was leading me. But today I have the answer” – head coach Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his planning to discuss his journey. FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS “Nice to hear that Kevin Mac Allister won’t be excluded by Argentina. Ideally, if he goes to the international competition next year, he’ll study how to get about the host cities – hopefully he won’t get confused in New York” – James Humphries. “Information shows that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been suspended due to suspected participation in a betting scandal. It would be fantastic if that number could be raised to the same level of typical pedantry 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 (hardly a difficult decision at my age and, um, ability), are there 32 more folks willing to join in my search for symmetry?” – Mike Wilner. “As a frequent consumer and Florida resident, can I in advance protest about the coming period of published letters about which road 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 whole story. There’s no meaningful conclusion to the tale. (I-4 connects 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 casual team, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke presented as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who invited him. Reportedly 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 most experienced participant is pushing 80, while the least experienced are in their twenties. To ensure a enjoyable experience for everyone, we have a straightforward principle regarding the ability standard: you can be quick or talented, but preferably not simultaneously. We occasionally have players who disregard this principle, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.