Ndiaye, Globetrotters-Level Skills and Revealing Football Statistics

IS THERE REALLY A POSSIBILITY?

Should you have overlooked the video of Iliman Ndiaye executing a reverse bouncing nutmeg at Everton’s training ground, it’s a good watch. In executing a move so impressive that it would have suited perfectly at a Harlem Globetrotters friendly display, the skill instantly ended what was meant to be a casual practice to conclude what had been – up to that point – an illuminating interview about how Sunday league footballers can secure a fresh start after being let go from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who featured in non-league games directly before being picked up by Sheffield United at 19, is expertly placed to address this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to come through,” he advised a young player just before executing said spectacular skill on his victim, in doing so clearly demonstrating the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been working to minimize.

Ndiaye isn’t the first professional footballer to push the boundaries. A younger Michael Owen happily embarrassing a young shot-stopper in front of a fuming Neville Southall is undoubtedly the prime example in this specific category – but the former Liverpool man is far from the only offender. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have caused kids to weep with a series of harsh skills, although it’s believed that the latter was at least motivated by the Japanese player’s social media apologetic post – “difficulty breeds resilience” – and the accompanying hashtag of #friendship.

Kagawa’s previous Borussia partners Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the decency to lose their match against 100 children when the trio competed during the half-time break of their final match for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that featured Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were not so generous when they took on 109 Chinese kids in a like situation. But coming full circle, it’s estimated 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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FEATURED STATEMENT

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