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COULD IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN?

Unless you’ve missed the footage of Iliman Ndiaye performing a unusual dribbling move at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. Through performing a move so spectacular that it would have fit right in at a Harlem Globetrotters show game, the skill immediately shut down what was meant to be a informal game to conclude what had been – up to that point – an illuminating interview about how amateur players can secure a fresh start after being dropped from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being signed by Sheffield United at 19, is perfectly positioned to discuss this topic. “Avoid dwelling on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he informed a young player shortly before using said impressive trick on his opponent, in doing so perfectly illustrating the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been attempting to dispel.

Ndiaye joins a list of professional footballer to take things that little bit too far. Peak Michael Owen gleefully humiliating a young shot-stopper in front of a annoyed Neville Southall is undoubtedly the prime example in this specific category – but the ex-Anfield star is not alone in this. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have made young children cry with a series of merciless tricks, 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 accompanying hashtag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s previous Borussia partners Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the manners to be defeated against 100 children when the group competed during the mid-game pause of their last appearance for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were not so generous when they played against 109 Chinese kids in a comparable scenario. But coming full circle, it’s estimated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing structured junior soccer in England will ever appear in the Premier League, a harsh truth for young players across the country.

BROADCAST ON MAJOR PLATFORM

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 other games happening later.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Football took me but it never abandoned 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 taking me. But today I have the solution” – head coach Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his training to discuss his journey.

READER CORRESPONDENCE

“Pleasant to learn that Kevin Mac Allister won’t be excluded by Argentina. Hopefully, if he participates in the international competition next year, he’ll study how to travel around the host cities – hopefully he won’t get confused in New York” – James Humphries.

“Sources state that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been suspended due to suspected participation in a gambling controversy. It would be fantastic if that number could be increased to the same level of characteristic precision associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my calculation, that’s about 33 more detail-oriented individuals. If I volunteer to be banned from playing professionally in Turkey (not much of a loss at my age and, um, talent), are there 32 more folks willing to join in my search for balance?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a frequent consumer 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 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 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 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 introduced as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who recruited him. Reportedly he was an actor; he had a useful left foot. (Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis)” – Jason Steger.

“Together with some colleagues and friends, 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 positive atmosphere for everyone, we have a basic guideline regarding the quality of player: you can be fast or skilled, but preferably not simultaneously. We periodically have players who disregard this principle, but usually typically reduce them to our quality over time” – Lars Esbjerg.