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YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?

If you haven’t seen the footage of Iliman Ndiaye pulling off a reverse bouncing nutmeg at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. Through performing a move so nasty that it would have fit right in at a Harlem Globetrotters show game, the skill quickly concluded what was meant to be a lighthearted kickabout to wrap up what had been – up to that point – an informative discussion about how non-professionals can get another opportunity after being dropped from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who featured in non-league games directly before being signed by Sheffield United at 19, is perfectly positioned to address this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he informed a young player shortly before deploying said ninja move on his victim, in doing so clearly demonstrating the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize.

Ndiaye joins a list of professional footballer to push the boundaries. A younger Michael Owen gleefully humiliating a 13-year-old goalkeeper in front of a fuming Neville Southall is clearly the benchmark in this specific category – but the ex-Anfield star is far from the only offender. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have reduced toddlers to actual tears with a series of brutal nutmegs, although it’s believed that the latter was at least inspired by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “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 manners to suffer a loss against 100 children when the trio competed during the interval of their final match for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were more competitive when they played against 109 Chinese kids in a like situation. But back to the start, it’s estimated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing organized youth football in England will ever play in the Premier League, a stark reality for toddlers and teenagers across the country.

BROADCAST ON MAJOR PLATFORM

Tune in with Scott Murray from 7.45pm GMT for real-time tournament updates of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be monitoring the action for the remaining evening matches.

DAILY HIGHLIGHT

“Soccer carried me but it never deserted me because I never stopped believing. I went from team to team. The love of football drives you. I couldn’t always see where it was leading me. But today I have the answer” – Serbia coach Veljko Paunovic takes time out from his planning to share his path.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

“Nice to hear that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. Ideally, if he travels to the Bigliest Most Peaceful Cup next year, he’ll study how to get about the tournament sites – wouldn’t want him to end up lost in New York” – James Humphries.

“Information shows that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been suspended due to potential connection in a gambling controversy. It would be fantastic if that number could be raised to the same level of usual detail-orientation associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my estimation, that’s about 33 more pedants. If I offer to be suspended 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 caught in a traffic jam 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 links 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.

“Regarding Wythenshawe FC, I remember many years ago playing for a Sunday, very casual team, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke introduced as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who recruited him. Apparently he was an actor; he had a decent left foot. (Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis)” – Jason Steger.

“Together with some colleagues and friends, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our most senior member is approaching eighty, while the least experienced are in their twenties. To ensure a good time for everyone, we have a straightforward principle regarding the quality of player: you can be speedy or technical, but ideally not both. We occasionally have players who violate this rule, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.