Ndiaye, Globetrotters-Style Skills and Revealing Soccer Stats

YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?

If you haven’t seen the clip of Iliman Ndiaye pulling off a reverse bouncing nutmeg at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. Through performing a move so nasty that it would have suited perfectly at a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition match, the skill quickly concluded what was meant to be a informal game to finish what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how non-professionals can earn a second chance after being released by professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football directly before being picked up by Sheffield United at 19, is perfectly positioned to speak on this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he told a young player immediately prior to deploying said spectacular skill on his victim, in doing so vividly showing the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize.

Ndiaye is far from the only professional footballer to push the boundaries. Peak Michael Owen cheerfully overwhelming a 13-year-old goalkeeper in front of a annoyed Neville Southall is clearly the benchmark in this unique area – 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 harsh skills, although it’s considered that the latter was at least driven by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “this frustration makes a person stronger” – and the associated label of #friendship.

Kagawa’s previous Borussia partners Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the good grace to suffer a loss against 100 children when the three played during the mid-game pause of their farewell game for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that included Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were not so generous when they took on 109 Chinese kids in a similar experiment. But returning to the beginning, it’s approximated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing structured junior soccer in England will ever play in the Premier League, a harsh truth for toddlers and teenagers across the country.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The game guided me but it never abandoned me because I never abandoned my dream. I went from team to team. The devotion to the game propels you. I couldn’t always see where it was taking me. But today I have the understanding” – head coach Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his training to share his path.

READER CORRESPONDENCE

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“Sources state that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been suspended due to alleged involvement in a wagering issue. It would be fantastic if that number could be raised 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 pedants. If I volunteer to be banned from playing professionally in Turkey (hardly a difficult decision at my age and, um, ability), are there 32 more folks willing to participate in my quest for symmetry?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a daily reader and Florida resident, can I in advance protest 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 complete account. 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 introduced 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 experienced participant is pushing 80, while the most junior are in their twenties. To ensure a good time for everyone, we have a basic guideline regarding the ability standard: you can be quick or talented, but preferably not simultaneously. We periodically have players who disregard this principle, but usually typically reduce them to our quality over time” – Lars Esbjerg.