Dele Alli Opens Up On Unpleasant Childhood Struggles Traumatising Him Now

Dele Alli has highlighted some abuses and struggles he endured during his infancy which he links to his current “addiction” and “mental” predicament.

In an interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap, the Everton midfielder revealed he got molested, got exiled to Africa and got hooked onto drugs between the ages of six and seven.

“At six, I was molested by my mum’s friend who was at the house a lot. My mum was an alcoholic.”

He continued, “I was sent to Africa to learn discipline. Then I was sent back. Seven, I started smoking. Eight I started dealing drugs, selling drugs. An older person told me they wouldn’t stop a kid so I’d ride around with my football and then underneath I’d have the drugs.

“Eleven, I was hung off a bridge by a guy from the next estate. At 12, I was adopted. And from then, I was adopted by an amazing family, I couldn’t have asked for better people to do what they’ve done for me…If God created people, it was them. They are amazing and have helped me a lot,” Sky Sports quotes the loaned player as saying.

The England professional who was loaned to Besiktas in the just-ended season revealed he had been struggling with addiction and recently sought help from a rehab centre.

“I got addicted to sleeping tablets and it’s probably not a problem only I have. I think it’s something that’s going around more than people realise in football.”

“When I came back from Turkey, I came back and found out I needed an operation. I was in a bad place mentally. I decided to go to a modern rehab facility that deals with addiction and mental health and trauma… I was in a bad cycle. I was relying on things that were doing me harm.”

He said he was scared to open up all these years but is certain his timing now is perfect.

The 27-year-old says Everton has had his back and is grateful.

“Everton were amazing and supported me. I will be grateful to them forever. For them to be so honest and understanding I couldn’t ask for anything more during a time I was making the biggest decision of my life – doing something I was scared to do. I’m happy I’ve done it.”