His career trajectory is unlikely as some of his solo runs. At 19 and 20, the ages when others were marking themselves out as future greats, Yannick Bolasie was being loaned to Rushden & Diamonds and then Barnet.
Fast-forward a few years and the specialist of the unpredictable is the second most expensive player ever bought by Everton, the club with the fourth most league titles in English football history.
He also brought Crystal Palace their greatest windfall. As his present and past employers meet on Friday, it comes with the probability that Bolasie will influence the outcome.
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Perhaps it will be directly, a blur of stepovers leading him to goal or, at least, to pick out a player who finds the net.
Or maybe it will be indirectly: his sale allowed Palace to fund their club record buy of Christian Benteke. His direct replacement Andros Townsend arrived before Bolasie left, but for around half the cost.
A similarly quick dribbler shares the potential to decide the game.
A Palace win would take them level on points with Everton, which would challenge the notion that Bolasie traded up in swapping Selhurst Park for Goodison Park. At the least, he suggested this week, it is an education. “Learning from a manager like Ronald Koeman is totally different to what I’ve had in the past,” he told the Liverpool Echo.
“The Dutch way of playing, the Dutch way of doing everything is totally different to what I’ve had.”
While Bolasie is a Congolese international, his five Palace managers were all Brits. A different school of thought brings different demands.
Everton are a team who expect to have more possession. The burden is often on them to break opponents down, especially at Goodison Park. Hence, perhaps the importance of a wild card.
“Yannick is the type of winger I like – fast, strong and he can play different positions in the forward line,” said Koeman when signing Bolasie.
Long-limbed, quick, capable of confounding opponents and teammates alike, Bolasie is a natural subject for YouTube compilations, an entertainer with juggling skills, a sprinter who claimed he once beat Usain Bolt in a sprint.
The feints, the tricks, the flicks: they all make him a highlights player.
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It means he stands out in a recruitment drive where reliability was otherwise prioritised.
Koeman has imported experience in his summer spending, with goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg 34 and defender Ashley Williams 32.
At the age of 27 and costing £25 million (Dh119.3m), perhaps Bolasie should also represent the finished article. If a late developer does not, it is because he is not a finisher.
Koeman’s most pertinent comment came last month. “He needs to improve in his productivity,” he said. “Nine goals in three Premier League seasons is too little.”
Palace can echo that. Bolasie scored an 11-minute hat-trick at Sunderland for them 17 months ago but his time at Selhurst Park yielded just 13 goals in 144 games.
He is yet to get off the mark for Everton, though he has at least recorded assists in the wins over Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
Both were for goals scored by Romelu Lukaku. Everton must hope it is the start of a profitable alliance.
Certainly after deflating defeats to Norwich City, in the League Cup, and Bournemouth in the league last weekend, they could do with a response. Their star has waned as Palace’s has risen.
Perhaps mediocre league form in 2016 prompted him to leave, but a team who deal in peaks and troughs of form have now recorded three successive league wins, garnished by nine goals.
Life after Bolasie is going swimmingly for them. But now an idiosyncratic player has an opportunity to remind them what they are missing.
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The specs
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Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
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BMW M5 specs
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TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
List of alleged parties
May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff
May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'
Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff
Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party
Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters
Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
POSSIBLE ENGLAND EURO 2020 SQUAD
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
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Race 3
Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
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Based: Cairo, Egypt
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1. Fasting
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Sarfira
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Rating: 2/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
