£13.5m ex-Everton ace now pays £5-per-week to play in ‘world’s best 10-a-side’
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Former Everton striker Oumar Niasse is paying £5 per week to play in what has been dubbed the 'world's best 10-a-side football game'.
The 33-year-old, who is currently a free agent after leaving Morecambe at the end of last season, has joined a group of one-time Premier League footballers for a weekly 10-a-side match. The players, including former Manchester United trio Ravel Morrison, Antonio Valencia and John O'Shea, gather in south Manchester to engage in an hour-long game that is described as potentially 'the best game of pickup football in the world.'
The idea for the regular kick-about originated two years ago when a group of friends who played semi-professional football decided to form an amateur team called 'The Farmers.' As coronavirus restrictions began to ease, they recruited players with extensive experience at the top level to join their squad, reports the Liverpool Echo.
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Due to their dominance over other teams, often winning by large margins of '30 goals or so,' one of the team's founders, Kial Callacher, made the decision for the star-studded lineup to compete only against each other. Niasse, along with players like Stephen Ireland, Papiss Cisse, Danny Drinkwater, Danny Simpson and Joleon Lescott, pays £5 each week to participate in these competitive matches.
Despite the low-key nature of the games, the players reportedly remain fiercely competitive and fully committed on the pitch. While Niasse's future in professional football remains uncertain, the former Senegal international looks to have found an enjoyable way to keep up his connection with the sport.
What memories do you have of Oumar Niasse in English football? Let us know in the comments section.
Niasse scored nine goals in 42 appearances for Everton after a £13.5million move from Lokomotiv Moscow in 2016, while he also had loan spells with Hull City and Cardiff City. He signed for Huddersfield Town and Burton Albion before his most recent stint at Morecambe.
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- Everton FC
- Premier League
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