Dele Alli’s career took a wrong turn a few years ago. Tottenham ended up parting with him to send him to Everton, who in turn loaned him to Besiktas where the adventure once again ended badly. This sporty descent has explanations. In a long and moving interview given to the show TheOverlap of which Gary Neville is the presenter, the 27-year-old midfielder reveals to be dependent on drugs, in particular sleeping pills. This addiction pushed him to open the door of a detox center.
That’s not all for the one whose career may never take off again. During this same interview, he claims to have been through hell as a child. He was notably the victim of sexual abuse. “At six years old, I was assaultedhe begins, before continuing a chilling story. I was sent to Africa to learn discipline. Then I was sent home. At seven I started smoking, at eight I started selling drugs. An elderly person told me she wouldn’t arrest a child, so I was walking around with my soccer ball and drugs. At eleven, a guy hung me from a bridge in the nearby housing estate, and at 12, I was adopted into a wonderful family… If God made people, it’s them. They are amazing and have helped me a lot.” Something to offer a little happiness after years of horror.
