Bamidele Jermaine Alli (April 11, 1996), better known as Dele Alli, is a professional footballer born in Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom. His skill and talent on the field have led him to be recognized as a prominent midfielder for Everton F.C.
Bamidele Jermaine Alli, better known in the football world as Dele Alli, is an outstanding English attacking midfielder and one of the young promises in global football. He has a mixed heritage, as his father, Kehinde Alli, is of Nigerian origin, while his mother, Denise, is English.
In addition to being recognized for his football talent, Dele Alli has a personal history marked by the absence of his father. His father, an African prince, chose to turn his back on both him and his mother, showing little interest and disengaging from young Dele. This circumstance has influenced the footballer’s life, and it is one of the reasons why, in mid-2016, he decided to stop using the “Alli” surname on his football jersey, opting to only bear the name “Dele”.
After Dele’s birth, his father Kehinde decided to move to the United States one week later. During his early years, Dele was primarily raised by his mother, who struggled with alcoholism. At the age of nine, he moved to Nigeria to live with his father for a while. However, he later returned to Milton Keynes to live with his mother. He attended the Stantonbury campus and The Radcliffe School in Wolverton.
When he was 12 years old, Dele Alli moved in with Sally and Alan Hickford, who were the parents of a teammate at MK Dons. Although Dele refers to them as his “adoptive parents”, it is important to note that he was never legally adopted by them. Nevertheless, the Hickford family played a crucial role in his life and welcomed him into their home as one of their own.
Dele Alli began playing football at City Cols Football Club, where he trained until 2007. At the age of 11, he joined Milton Keynes Dons to complete his youth development and start playing in the junior teams.
After progressing through the youth ranks, in the 2011-2012 season, he was called up for the first time to the professional team at the tender age of 15. On November 12, 2011, his team played the first round of the FA Cup against Nantwich Town and won 6-0. In the second round, they faced Barnet, defeating them 3-1, and finally, they played against Queens Park Rangers, with whom they drew 1-1. In all three matches, Dele was called up to the squad but didn’t get a chance to play a single minute.
For the 2012-2013 season, coach Karl Robinson definitively promoted Dele Alli to the professional team, at the young age of 16. He was included in the squad from the start of the Football League One season, but initially, he didn’t get playing time, alternating between matches with the reserve team.
Dele Alli made his professional debut on November 2, 2012, when his team faced Cambridge City in the first round of the FA Cup, a match that ended in a 0-0 draw. On November 13 of that same year, in his second official match, Alli was named a starter for the first time, and he managed to score his first goal as a professional in his team’s 6-1 victory.
On December 29, 2012, he made his League One debut as a starter against Coventry City, but unfortunately, his team lost 3-2 in that encounter.
One year later, he participated in the third round of the FA Cup, where they eliminated Sheffield Wednesday after winning 2-0 in the replay match. Eventually, his team was knocked out in the round of 16, losing 3-1 to Barnsley. On the final matchday of the league, he got playing minutes again, and his team secured a 2-0 victory against Stevenage. Milton Keynes Dons finished the League One season in the eighth position, without a chance of promotion.
In the 2013-2014 season, Dele Alli scored 7 goals in 37 matches, including his first hat-trick on March 11, 2014, against Notts County.
For the 2014-2015 season, Dele Alli was part of the team that defeated Manchester United 4-0 in the second round of the League Cup on August 26, 2014. He stood out during that season, scoring 12 goals and providing 5 assists in 33 matches. His impressive talent caught the attention of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, who signed him for a fee close to 7 million euros. He was loaned back to Milton Keynes Dons to finish the season.
At the end of the season with the Dons, he achieved promotion for his team to the Football League Championship by finishing in the second position in the league. Additionally, Dele Alli scored 16 goals and provided 9 assists in 39 matches, starting in all of them. During his time at Milton Keynes Dons, the young player scored a total of 24 goals and provided 15 assists in 88 matches played.
Dele Alli joined Tottenham for the start of the 2015-2016 season. He made his professional debut in the Premier League on August 8, 2015, coming on as a substitute for Eric Dier in the 77th minute, but his team suffered a 1-0 defeat against Manchester United. On August 22 of that year, he scored his first goal for his new club in a match where Tottenham drew 1-1 with Leicester City.
On November 6, Dele Alli was nominated for the Golden Boy Award, recognizing him as one of the top 40 under-21 players in the world. However, he didn’t win the award as it went to Anthony Martial. By the end of his first season in the Premier League, he had scored 10 goals and provided nine assists in 33 matches. His goal against Crystal Palace on January 23, 2016, was chosen as the Goal of the Season by BBC Match of the Day.
For the 2016-2017 season, Dele Alli continued to excel in every match he played for Tottenham. Although he didn’t manage to secure any titles with his team, he solidified his position in the starting lineup. By the end of the season, he had scored 22 goals and provided 13 assists in 50 matches across all competitions.
Dele Alli ended his tenure with the London club on January 31, 2022, after six and a half seasons, as he was transferred to Everton F.C. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the new team. Initially, he played thirteen matches before being loaned to Besiktas J.K. in August.
However, Dele Alli’s arrival at Everton F.C. in the middle of the 2021-2022 season wasn’t successful, as his performance did not meet expectations. As a result, his time at the club was reduced to just 11 matches.
On August 25, 2022, Besiktas J.K. officially announced the signing of Dele Alli.
During his time in the Turkish league, Dele Alli suffered a muscular injury that required surgery. This injury forced him to undergo a period of rest, which ultimately marked the end of his season.
Photo: @dele (vía Instagram)
Dele Alli has been part of the England national teams in the U17, U18, U19, and U21 categories. He played in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship 2013 elite round, where the England U17 team was eliminated in the group stage.
He was also part of the squad that competed in the qualifying round for the UEFA European Under-19 Championship 2015. England won all three matches in the qualifying round and advanced to the elite round. Despite the qualification, Dele Alli was not called up for the next phase, and England did not progress to the final tournament.
On September 7 of the same year, he made his first appearance in the qualifying stage of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2017, where England secured a 1-0 victory against Norway.
On October 1, 2015, Dele Alli received his first call-up to the senior England national team to participate in two Euro 2016 qualifying matches. He made his debut on October 9 of the same year in a match where England defeated Estonia 2-0. On October 12, he faced Lithuania, starting once again on the substitute bench and coming on as a substitute for Lallana in the 67th minute. England won the match 3-0, securing their qualification for Euro 2016.
He was called up for the following FIFA international dates to play two friendly matches. On November 17, 2015, he started for the first time and also scored his first goal for the senior England national team, leading them to a 2-0 victory over France. Thanks to his excellent performance, he was included in the 23-player squad for the Euro 2016, where England reached the round of 16.
He was consistently called up during the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where he managed to score a goal. Finally, on October 9, 2017, Dele Alli was part of the squad that confirmed England’s direct qualification to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
In early May 2021, Dele Alli began a romantic relationship with María Guardiola, the daughter of the renowned former footballer and Spanish coach, Pep Guardiola. However, according to media reports, their relationship came to an end later that same year.
In 2022, the footballer publicly announced his relationship with the model Cindy Kimberly through social media. Currently, both celebrities are still together. Previously, the model had been romantically linked to personalities such as Justin Bieber and Formula 1 driver, Lewis Hamilton.
After returning from Turkey, the footballer went through a challenging period in his life when he discovered the need for surgery. During this time, Dele Alli was struggling with unhealthy habits, including alcohol and sleeping pill consumption, which eventually led him to seek rehabilitation.
“I was in a very bad mental state, and I decided to go to a mental health rehabilitation center. They treat addictions and traumas. I felt like it was my time”.
Dele Alli agreed to an interview with Gary Neville for the show “The Overlap”. Once the interview was released to the public, it went viral due to the shocking revelations made. During the interview, Dele talked about his injury, his troubling addiction to sleeping pills and alcohol, his experience in rehabilitation, and shared events from his childhood that left many viewers stunned.
“It’s the most emotional, challenging, and inspiring conversation I’ve ever had in my life” – Gary Neville.
The footballer addressed the issue of the sexual abuse he suffered from a friend of his mother, who spent a lot of time in their home. After this traumatic event and due to the instability caused by his mother’s alcohol addiction, Dele was sent to Africa in order to learn discipline and find a more stable environment. Eventually, he was sent back to live with his mother.
Additionally, Dele also shared details about his experience with drugs. Surprisingly, at the age of seven, he started smoking, and just a year later, he got involved in drug trafficking. His age and appearance made him an easy target to be used as a courier, as no one would suspect an underage individual traveling on a bicycle. These revealing accounts left a profound impression on the viewers.
When he was eleven years old, Dele Alli experienced a traumatic incident where a neighbor from the neighborhood hung him from a bridge. Fortunately, the following year, he found a safe haven in the home of Sally and Alan Hickford. Dele describes this couple as incredible people who welcomed him and provided support during a crucial time in his life.
“If God created people, it was them”.
At the age of eighteen, two years after his debut in professional football, Dele Alli’s biological parents reappeared in his life, showing an interest that went beyond simply reconnecting with their son. Unfortunately, instead of establishing a positive connection, they sought to sow discord in the relationship between the footballer and his adoptive parents, accusing them of taking advantage.
It was at the age of 24 when Dele Alli began to struggle with an addiction to sleeping pills, using them for purposes other than their original intent. He started consuming these sedatives early in the morning, on his rest days, seeking an emotional escape. Regrettably, the emotional burden carried by the footballer became overwhelming, causing him to lose control over the consumption of pills, in addition to adding alcohol to the mix.
The audience could only witness the change in his performance without questioning what was really happening off the pitch. Dele Alli was labeled as lazy and careless, and the criticism intensified to the point where the player seriously considered the possibility of retiring at a young age. However, there was much more behind his apparent decline that deserved to be understood.
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