Iliman Ndiaye, Harlem Globetrotters-Level Skills and Revealing Football Stats
YOU’RE TELLING US THERE’S A CHANCE?
Should you have overlooked the video of Iliman Ndiaye executing a backwards bouncing trick at Everton’s training ground, you should check it out. By pulling off a move so spectacular that it would have suited perfectly at a Harlem Globetrotters friendly display, the skill immediately shut down what was meant to be a casual practice to wrap up what had been – up to that point – an illuminating interview about how non-professionals can earn a second chance after being released by professional academies.
Ndiaye, who competed in amateur leagues directly before being signed by Sheffield United at 19, is expertly placed to speak on this topic. “Don’t focus on the rejection and one day your luck is going to materialize,” he informed a young player just before executing said ninja move on his victim, in doing so vividly showing the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize.
Ndiaye joins a list of professional footballer to go slightly overboard. Peak Michael Owen cheerfully overwhelming a teenage keeper in front of a fuming Neville Southall is clearly the benchmark in this specific category – but the ex-Anfield star 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 disgrace caption – “setbacks build character” – and the accompanying hashtag of #friendship.
Kagawa’s previous Borussia partners Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the good grace to be defeated against 100 children when the group competed during the mid-game pause of their farewell game for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were more competitive when they faced 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 organized youth football in England will ever play in the Premier League, a harsh truth for young players across the country.
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DAILY HIGHLIGHT
“Football took me but it never abandoned me because I never stopped believing. I went from location to location. The love of football drives you. I couldn’t always see where it was directing me. But today I have the answer” – national team manager Veljko Paunovic pauses briefly from his training to discuss his path.
FAN FEEDBACK
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“Reports indicate that 1,024 players in the Turkish league have been prohibited due to alleged involvement in a betting scandal. 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 calculation, that’s about 33 more pedants. If I agree to be excluded from playing professionally in Turkey (not a huge sacrifice at my age and, um, skill level), are there 32 more folks willing to assist my effort for symmetry?” – Mike Wilner.
“As a daily reader and Florida resident, can I proactively complain about the coming period of published letters about which road one uses to get to various locations in your country? 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 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 congestion problems 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 introduced as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who brought him along. Apparently he was an actor; he had a good left side. (Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis)” – Jason Steger.
“Together with some co-workers and mates, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our most senior member is approaching eighty, while the youngest are in their late-20s. To ensure a enjoyable experience for everyone, we have a straightforward principle regarding the skill level: you can be speedy or technical, but ideally not both. We occasionally have players who disregard this principle, but usually succeed in bringing them to our standard over time” – Lars Esbjerg.