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COULD IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN?

Should you have overlooked the video of Iliman Ndiaye performing a reverse bouncing nutmeg at Everton’s training ground, you should check it out. Through performing a move so nasty that it would have fit right in at a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition match, the skill quickly concluded what was meant to be a casual practice to finish what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how non-professionals can get another opportunity after being released by professional academies.

Ndiaye, who competed in amateur leagues directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is perfectly positioned to discuss this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he advised a young player immediately prior to deploying said impressive trick on his teammate, in doing so clearly demonstrating the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been attempting to dispel.

Ndiaye isn’t the first professional footballer to push the boundaries. Prime Michael Owen gleefully humiliating a teenage keeper in front of a annoyed Neville Southall is obviously the gold standard in this specific category – but the former Liverpool man is far from the only offender. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have made young children cry with a series of harsh skills, 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 accompanying hashtag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s ex-BVB colleagues Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the manners to lose their match against 100 children when the three lined up during the half-time break of their farewell game for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were more competitive when they faced 109 Chinese kids in a like situation. 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 feature 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 real-time tournament updates of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be on clockwatch duty for the other games happening later.

DAILY HIGHLIGHT

“Football took me but it never left me because I never gave up on my goal. I went from location to location. The devotion to the game carries 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 share his path.

FAN FEEDBACK

“Pleasant to learn that Kevin Mac Allister isn’t going to be left home alone by Argentina. Hopefully, if he travels to the major tournament next year, he’ll study how to get about the host cities – 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 betting scandal. It would be wonderful if that number could be increased to the same level of usual detail-orientation associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my math, 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, talent), are there 32 more folks willing to join in my search for balance?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a regular follower and Florida resident, can I preemptively object about the next several days 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 meaningful conclusion to the tale. (I-4 connects 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.

“Apropos Wythenshawe FC, I recollect many years ago playing for a Sunday, very casual team, 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. Supposedly 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 pushing 80, while the youngest are in their twenties. To ensure a positive atmosphere for everyone, we have a straightforward principle regarding the skill level: you can be fast or skilled, but preferably not simultaneously. We sometimes have players who disregard this principle, but usually typically reduce them to our quality over time” – Lars Esbjerg.