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IS THERE REALLY A POSSIBILITY?

Unless you’ve missed the clip of Iliman Ndiaye pulling off a unusual dribbling move at Everton’s training ground, you should check it out. Through performing a move so nasty that it would have suited perfectly at a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition match, the skill immediately shut down what was meant to be a casual practice to conclude what had been – up to that point – an illuminating interview about how amateur players can get another opportunity after being dropped from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who competed in amateur leagues directly before being signed by Sheffield United at 19, is ideally suited to speak on this topic. “Avoid dwelling on the rejection and one day your luck is going to arrive,” he advised a young player shortly before deploying said spectacular skill on his opponent, in doing so vividly showing the difference between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize.

Ndiaye joins a list of professional footballer to go slightly overboard. Prime Michael Owen cheerfully overwhelming a 13-year-old goalkeeper in front of a fuming Neville Southall is obviously the gold standard in this particular niche – but the ex-Anfield star is just one of many culprits. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have made young children cry with a series of harsh skills, 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 manners to be defeated against 100 children when the three competed during the mid-game pause of their final match for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were not so generous when they faced 109 Chinese kids in a similar experiment. But coming full circle, it’s calculated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing structured junior soccer in England will ever appear in the Premier League, a stark reality for young players across the country.

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

Follow Scott Murray from evening UK time for real-time tournament updates 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 deserted me because I never gave up on my goal. I went from team to team. The devotion to the game carries you. I couldn’t always see where it was taking me. But today I have the understanding” – Serbia coach Veljko Paunovic makes time from his preparations to discuss his path.

FAN FEEDBACK

“Good to know that Kevin Mac Allister will be included by Argentina. Hopefully, if he travels to the international competition next year, he’ll research how to get about the host cities – hopefully he won’t get confused in New York” – James Humphries.

“Information shows 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 raised to the same level of usual detail-orientation associated with Football Daily – that is, 1,057 readers. By my estimation, 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 join in my search for balance?” – Mike Wilner.

“As a frequent consumer and Florida resident, can I preemptively object about the upcoming week-plus 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 satisfying lesson to the tale. (I-4 connects 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 remember many years ago playing for a Sunday, very casual team, 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 good left side. (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 least experienced are in their young adulthood. To ensure a good time for everyone, we have a straightforward principle regarding the skill level: you can be quick or talented, but preferably not both. We periodically have players who disregard this principle, but usually succeed in bringing them to our standard over time” – Lars Esbjerg.