Ndiaye, Globetrotters-Level Moves and Revealing Soccer Stats
COULD IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN?
Should you have overlooked the clip of Iliman Ndiaye performing a reverse bouncing nutmeg at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. By pulling off a move so nasty that it would have suited perfectly at a Harlem Globetrotters show game, the skill instantly ended what was meant to be a lighthearted kickabout to finish what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how Sunday league footballers can secure a fresh start after being dropped from professional academies.
Ndiaye, who featured in non-league games directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is ideally suited to speak on this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he informed a young player immediately prior to deploying said impressive trick on his teammate, in doing so clearly demonstrating the gulf between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize.
Ndiaye is far from the only professional footballer to go slightly overboard. Peak Michael Owen cheerfully overwhelming a teenage keeper in front of a annoyed Neville Southall is undoubtedly the prime example in this specific category – but the former Liverpool man is just one of many culprits. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have reduced toddlers to actual tears with a series of brutal nutmegs, 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 accompanying hashtag of #friendship.
Kagawa’s ex-BVB colleagues Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the decency to be defeated against 100 children when the trio competed during the interval of their last appearance for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that contained Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were not so generous when they took on 109 Chinese kids in a like situation. But returning to the beginning, 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 harsh truth for toddlers and teenagers across the country.
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Tune in with Scott Murray from 19:45 Greenwich Mean Time for hot Geopolitics World Cup qualifying coverage of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be monitoring the action for the remaining evening matches.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Soccer carried me but it never abandoned me because I never gave up on my goal. I went from location to location. The passion for soccer drives you. I couldn’t always see where it was taking me. But today I have the answer” – head coach Veljko Paunovic takes time out from his planning to reflect on his journey.
FAN FEEDBACK
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“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 typical pedantry associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my calculation, that’s about 33 more pedants. If I offer to be suspended from playing professionally in Turkey (not a huge sacrifice at my age and, um, ability), are there 32 more folks willing to assist my effort for symmetry?” – Mike Wilner.
“As a daily reader and Florida resident, can I in advance protest about the coming period of published letters about which road one uses to get to various locations in your island nation? 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 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 remember 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 recruited him. Apparently 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 most senior member is approaching eighty, while the youngest are in their twenties. To ensure a good time for everyone, we have a simple rule of thumb regarding the skill level: you can be fast or skilled, but ideally not both. We periodically have players who break this guideline, but usually succeed in bringing them to our standard over time” – Lars Esbjerg.
