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YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?

If you haven’t seen the clip of Iliman Ndiaye performing a unusual dribbling move at Everton’s training ground, it’s worth viewing. By pulling off a move so impressive that it would have suited perfectly at a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition match, the skill immediately shut down what was meant to be a casual practice to finish what had been – up to that point – an informative discussion about how Sunday league footballers can get another opportunity after being released by professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is perfectly positioned to discuss this topic. “Don’t focus 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 opponent, in doing so vividly showing the difference between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize.

Ndiaye is far from the only professional footballer to push the boundaries. Prime Michael Owen cheerfully overwhelming a teenage keeper in front of a smouldering Neville Southall is clearly the benchmark in this specific category – but the one-time Reds forward is just one of many culprits. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have caused kids to weep with a series of brutal nutmegs, although it’s believed that the latter was at least driven by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “this frustration makes a person stronger” – and the related tag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s ex-BVB colleagues Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the manners to be defeated against 100 children when the group competed during the interval 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 comparable scenario. But returning to the beginning, it’s estimated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing structured junior soccer in England will ever play in the Premier League, a stark reality for young players across the country.

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Follow 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 rest of the night’s action.

DAILY HIGHLIGHT

“Football took me but it never abandoned me because I never stopped believing. I went from place to place. The love of football propels you. I couldn’t always see where it was leading me. But today I have the understanding” – head coach Veljko Paunovic makes time from his training to reflect on his journey.

FAN FEEDBACK

“Nice to hear that Kevin Mac Allister won’t be excluded by Argentina. Hopefully, if he participates in the Bigliest Most Peaceful Cup next year, he’ll read up on how to travel around the tournament sites – wouldn’t want him to end up lost in New York” – James Humphries.

“Reports indicate that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been suspended due to suspected participation in a wagering issue. It would be wonderful if that number could be raised to the same level of characteristic precision associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my math, that’s about 33 more perfectionists. If I offer to be suspended from playing professionally in Turkey (hardly a difficult decision at my age and, um, skill level), are there 32 more folks willing to participate in my quest for harmony?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a regular follower and Florida resident, can I in advance protest about the upcoming week-plus of published letters about which route 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 whole story. There’s no rewarding moral to the tale. (I-4 joins Tampa on the Gulf Coast to Daytona on the Atlantic via Orlando/Walt Disney World, and can have traffic issues at any time)” – Rasteen Nowroozi.

“Apropos Wythenshawe FC, I recall many years ago playing for a Sunday, very recreational club, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke known as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who brought him along. Apparently 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 approaching eighty, while the least experienced are in their twenties. To ensure a good time for everyone, we have a basic guideline regarding the skill level: you can be speedy or technical, but preferably not both. We periodically have players who break this guideline, but usually succeed in bringing them to our standard over time” – Lars Esbjerg.