Iliman Ndiaye, Globetrotters-Level Moves and Revealing Soccer Statistics

COULD IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN?

Should you have overlooked the video of Iliman Ndiaye pulling off a unusual dribbling move at Everton’s training ground, it’s worth viewing. By pulling off a move so nasty that it would have fit right in at a Harlem Globetrotters show game, the skill quickly concluded what was meant to be a lighthearted kickabout to conclude what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how Sunday league footballers can earn a second chance after being let go from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who featured in non-league games directly before being recruited by Sheffield United at 19, is perfectly positioned to discuss this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to materialize,” he told a young player shortly before using said spectacular skill on his opponent, in doing so perfectly illustrating the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been trying to bridge.

Ndiaye is far from the only professional footballer to go slightly overboard. Prime Michael Owen gleefully humiliating a 13-year-old goalkeeper in front of a smouldering Neville Southall is obviously the gold standard in this particular niche – but the ex-Anfield star is far from the only offender. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have caused kids to weep with a series of merciless tricks, although it’s considered that the latter was at least motivated by the Japanese player’s social media regretful message – “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 decency to be defeated against 100 children when the group competed during the half-time break of their final match for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were more competitive when they played against 109 Chinese kids in a like situation. But back to the start, it’s approximated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing competitive youth leagues in England will ever play in the Premier League, a stark reality for toddlers and teenagers 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 place to place. The devotion to the game drives you. I couldn’t always see where it was directing me. But today I have the solution” – Serbia coach Veljko Paunovic takes time out from his training to reflect on his career.

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