Iliman Ndiaye, Globetrotters-Level Skills and Sobering Football Stats

IS THERE REALLY A POSSIBILITY?

If you haven’t seen the footage of Iliman Ndiaye executing a unusual dribbling move at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. By pulling off 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 informal game to finish what had been – up to that point – an illuminating interview about how Sunday league footballers can secure a fresh start after being let go from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being picked up 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 materialize,” he informed a young player just before deploying said ninja move on his teammate, in doing so vividly showing the gulf between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been trying to bridge.

Ndiaye isn’t the first professional footballer to go slightly overboard. Prime Michael Owen gleefully humiliating a young shot-stopper in front of a fuming Neville Southall is undoubtedly the prime example in this unique area – but the former Liverpool man is just one of many culprits. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have caused kids to weep with a series of merciless tricks, 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 related tag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s previous Borussia partners Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the good grace to lose their match against 100 children when the trio played during the mid-game pause of their last appearance for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that included 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 organized youth football in England will ever feature in the Premier League, a sobering statistic for aspiring footballers across the country.

STREAMING ON POPULAR SITE

Tune in with Scott Murray from 19:45 Greenwich Mean Time for real-time tournament updates of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be tracking events for the rest of the night’s action.

FEATURED STATEMENT

“The game guided me but it never abandoned me because I never gave up on my goal. I went from location to location. The passion for soccer carries you. I couldn’t always see where it was leading me. But today I have the answer” – national team manager Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his preparations to discuss his path.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. Hopefully, if he participates in the major tournament next year, he’ll research how to get about the tournament sites – 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 alleged involvement in a wagering issue. It would be wonderful if that number could be bumped up to the same level of typical pedantry associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my estimation, that’s about 33 more detail-oriented individuals. If I offer to be suspended from playing professionally in Turkey (not much of a loss at my age and, um, ability), are there 32 more folks willing to join in my search for balance?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a daily reader and Florida resident, can I preemptively object about the coming period 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 complete account. 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 delays at any time)” – Rasteen Nowroozi.

“Apropos Wythenshawe FC, I recall 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. Apparently he was an actor; he had a useful left foot. (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 nearing eight decades, while the most junior are in their twenties. To ensure a positive atmosphere for everyone, we have a basic guideline regarding the quality of player: you can be fast or skilled, but preferably not both. We periodically have players who break this guideline, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.