Ndiaye, Globetrotters-Style Moves and Revealing Football Statistics

IS THERE REALLY A POSSIBILITY?

Unless you’ve missed the footage of Iliman Ndiaye performing a reverse bouncing nutmeg at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. By pulling off a move so spectacular that it would have been appropriate at a Harlem Globetrotters friendly display, the skill instantly ended what was meant to be a informal game to wrap up what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how non-professionals can earn a second chance after being let go from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who played Sunday League football 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 just before executing said spectacular skill on his opponent, in doing so perfectly illustrating the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been attempting to dispel.

Ndiaye is far from the only 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 clearly the benchmark in this particular niche – but the former Liverpool man is not alone in this. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have reduced toddlers to actual tears with a series of merciless tricks, although it’s considered that the latter was at least driven by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “setbacks build character” – 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 lose their match against 100 children when the group competed during the half-time break of their farewell game for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that included Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were more competitive 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 feature in the Premier League, a stark reality for toddlers and teenagers across the country.

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Follow Scott Murray from evening UK time for live international football action of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be on clockwatch duty for the rest of the night’s action.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Soccer carried me but it never left me because I never gave up on my goal. I went from place to place. The passion for soccer propels you. I couldn’t always see where it was directing me. But today I have the understanding” – head coach Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his preparations to reflect on his path.

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“Together with some colleagues and friends, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our most experienced participant is nearing eight decades, while the youngest are in their twenties. To ensure a positive atmosphere for everyone, we have a simple rule of thumb regarding the ability standard: you can be fast or skilled, but preferably not simultaneously. We occasionally have players who violate this rule, but usually typically reduce them to our quality over time” – Lars Esbjerg.