Oumar Niasse was released by Everton at the end of the 2019/20 season
Ex-Everton striker Oumar Niasse is part of a group of one-time Premier League footballers who meet up on a weekly basis for a 10-a-side match.
Niasse is currently a free agent after leaving League Two side Morecambe at the end of last season, which followed a brief spell in League One with Burton Albion the previous campaign.
Searching for a way to maintain his fitness as he awaits a new challenge in the game, it has emerged the 33-year-old is an attender of a weekly kickabout alongside other players to have graced the English top-flight during their professional career.
Players pay £5 each week to play in the venue located in south Manchester and reportedly remain fiercely competitive during the games despite their low-key nature.
A report by the New York Times has revealed former Manchester United trio Ravel Morrison, Antonio Valencia and John O’Shea are among those who are often involved in such hour-long matches. Other attendees are said to include Stephen Ireland, Papiss Cisse, Danny Drinkwater, Danny Simpson and ex-Everton defender Joleon Lescott.
The above article describes the event as potentially “the best game of pickup football in the world,” which first began two years ago as coronavirus restrictions began to be lifted. It is stated a group of friends who played semi-professional football set up an amateur team named ‘The Farmers’ and were quickly able to recruit players with years of experience at the top- evel for their squad.
One of the team’s founders, Kial Callacher, later took the decision for the star names to face off only against each other after they made a habit of sweeping aside their opponents – in some cases by “30 goals or so.”
It remains to be seen whether or not Niasse will land himself a new club, though he appears to have found a suitable alternative for the time being.