Iliman Ndiaye, Globetrotters-Level Moves and Revealing Soccer Statistics

IS THERE REALLY A POSSIBILITY?

Unless you’ve missed the video of Iliman Ndiaye performing a reverse bouncing nutmeg at Everton’s training ground, you should check it out. By pulling off a move so spectacular that it would have fit right in at a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition match, the skill quickly concluded what was meant to be a informal game to wrap up what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how amateur players can earn a second chance after being dropped from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who featured in non-league games directly before being picked up by Sheffield United at 19, is ideally suited to speak on this topic. “Don’t focus on the rejection and one day your luck is going to arrive,” he told a young player just before deploying said spectacular skill on his victim, in doing so vividly showing the gulf between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been attempting to dispel.

Ndiaye joins a list of professional footballer to go slightly overboard. Prime Michael Owen happily embarrassing a 13-year-old goalkeeper in front of a smouldering Neville Southall is undoubtedly the prime example in this particular niche – but the one-time Reds forward 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 considered that the latter was at least driven by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “difficulty breeds resilience” – and the accompanying hashtag 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 three played during the mid-game pause of their farewell game for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that contained Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were not so generous when they played against 109 Chinese kids in a similar experiment. But returning to the beginning, it’s estimated 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 toddlers and teenagers across the country.

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Tune in with Scott Murray from 19:45 Greenwich Mean Time for hot Geopolitics World Cup qualifying coverage of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be on clockwatch duty for the rest of the night’s action.

DAILY HIGHLIGHT

“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 solution” – head coach Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his preparations to share his path.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister won’t be excluded by Argentina. Ideally, if he goes to 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.

“Information shows that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been banned due to alleged involvement in a gambling controversy. It would be wonderful if that number could be increased to the same level of characteristic precision 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 much of a loss at my age and, um, talent), are there 32 more folks willing to participate in my quest for balance?” – 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 stuck in gridlock 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 links 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 remember many years ago playing for a Sunday, very recreational club, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke presented as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who recruited him. Supposedly 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 senior member is pushing 80, while the least experienced are in their young adulthood. To ensure a enjoyable experience for everyone, we have a straightforward principle regarding the skill level: you can be speedy or technical, but ideally not both. We periodically have players who disregard this principle, but usually succeed in bringing them to our standard over time” – Lars Esbjerg.