Dele Alli Reveals Sad Details About His Past

Everton player Dele Alli alleges that he was sexually molested when he was six years old and revealed that he recently underwent rehabilitation in the United States.

In an interview with former England footballer Gary Neville on “The Overlap”, Dele Alli detailed the abuse he endured as a child before being adopted at the age of 12.

He said he was “molested” when he was six, sent to Africa (Nigeria) at six, returned to England at seven, started smoking at the age of seven, and started selling drugs at the age of eight.

Alli, 27, whose father is Nigerian and mother British, recently underwent six weeks of therapy for addiction to sleeping pills and mental health issues.

The out-of-favour England international who was regarded as one of the most talented young players in football then, assisted Tottenham in reaching the 2019 Champions League final while representing England in the 2018 World Cup semifinals.

But when his performance declined, he left Spurs in February 2022 and signed with Everton. During the previous season, he spent time on loan at Besiktas.

“When I came back from Turkey, I found out I needed an operation and I was in a bad place mentally,” Dele Alli said.

“I decided to go to a modern-day rehab facility for mental health. They deal with addiction, mental health, and trauma.

“I felt like it was time for me. With things like that, you can’t be told to go there. You have to know and make the decision yourself or it’s not going to work. I was caught in a bad cycle. I was relying on things that were doing me harm.

“I was waking up every day and I was winning the fight going into training, smiling, showing that I was happy but inside I was definitely losing the battle. It was time for me to change it.”

Dele Alli suffered molestation

Dele Alli, who won his 37th and last England cap in 2019, was forced to return to Everton after the previous campaign due to an injury.

Alli revealed that he “could never have imagined how much” he would benefit from his three weeks of rehabilitation in the United States since “a lot happened when I was younger that I could never understand and figure out”.

Later, after pausing briefly due to emotion, he continued by describing how he was “sent to Africa to learn discipline” after being “molested” at the age of six.

He then continued, “At seven, I started smoking, at eight I started dealing drugs.

“An older person told me that they wouldn’t stop a kid on a bike, so I rode around with my football, and then underneath I’d have the drugs. That was eight.

“Eleven, I was hung off a bridge by a guy from the next estate, a man.

“Twelve, I was adopted – and from then, it was like – I was adopted by an amazing family like I said, I couldn’t have asked for better people to do what they’d done for me. If God created people, it was them.”

Dele Alli Almost Retired at 24

Dele Alli made his professional football debut in 2012 with MK Dons at the age of 16. He had an effect when the League One squad overcame Manchester United in the League Cup two years later.

After joining Tottenham in February 2015, he enjoyed success for both club and country before losing favor with both.

Alli was at his best while Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino was in charge before Jose Mourinho took over in November 2019.

“Probably the saddest moment for me, was when Mourinho was manager, I think I was 24. I remember there was one session, like one morning I woke up and I had to go to training – this is when he’d stopped playing me – and I was in a bad place”, Alli said.

“I mean it sounds dramatic but I was literally staring in the mirror – and I was asking if I could retire now, at 24, doing the thing I love.

“For me, that was heartbreaking to even have had that thought at 24, to want to retire. That hurt me a lot, that was another thing that I had to carry.”