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IS THERE REALLY A POSSIBILITY?

Unless you’ve missed the clip of Iliman Ndiaye pulling off a reverse bouncing nutmeg at Everton’s training ground, you should check it out. In executing a move so spectacular that it would have been appropriate at a Harlem Globetrotters friendly display, 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 non-professionals can earn a second chance after being released by professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is ideally suited to discuss this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to arrive,” he advised a young player shortly before deploying said ninja move on his victim, in doing so vividly showing the difference between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been attempting to dispel.

Ndiaye joins a list of professional footballer to push the boundaries. A younger Michael Owen happily embarrassing 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 made young children cry with a series of merciless tricks, although it’s thought that the latter was at least inspired by the Japanese player’s social media apologetic post – “difficulty breeds resilience” – and the related tag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s ex-BVB colleagues Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the decency to suffer a loss against 100 children when the group played during the interval of their last appearance for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso showed less mercy when they faced 109 Chinese kids in a like situation. But returning to the beginning, it’s calculated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing competitive youth leagues in England will ever appear in the Premier League, a sobering statistic for young players across the country.

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

Join Scott Murray from evening UK 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.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Soccer carried me but it never deserted me because I never abandoned my dream. I went from location to location. The love of football propels you. I couldn’t always see where it was directing me. But today I have the understanding” – Serbia coach Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his planning to discuss his path.

FAN FEEDBACK

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. Ideally, if he travels to the Bigliest Most Peaceful Cup next year, he’ll research how to travel around the venue locations – hopefully he won’t get confused in New York” – James Humphries.

“Sources state that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been prohibited due to potential connection in a gambling controversy. It would be amazing if that number could be raised to the same level of typical pedantry 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 (not much of a loss at my age and, um, talent), are there 32 more folks willing to assist my effort for harmony?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a daily reader and Florida resident, can I preemptively object about the next several days 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 entire tale. There’s no meaningful conclusion 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.

“Concerning Wythenshawe FC, I recall many years ago playing for a Sunday, very casual team, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke presented as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who recruited him. Supposedly he was an actor; he had a decent 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 approaching eighty, while the least experienced are in their young adulthood. To ensure a positive atmosphere for everyone, we have a simple rule of thumb regarding the skill level: you can be quick or talented, but preferably not both. We occasionally have players who violate this rule, but usually manage to drag them down to our level over time” – Lars Esbjerg.