XtraTime Web Desk: Having only eight days left for the World Cup to begin, the midfielder from Tottenham aged 22, informed the Standard how he was moving towards the “wrong path” prior to showcasing his talent.
The promising Dele Alli, who is expected to be a key player for manager Gareth Southgate, hailed from Bradwell, and is estranged from his parents.
His childhood was not that prosperous. His family life has been the subject of much conjecture. The star’s mother denies being an alcoholic and that she gave him up for adoption, declaring instead that he moved away as his football career began to take shape.
Hoewever, at the age of 13 Dele started living with the parents of his former Milton Keynes Dons teammate Harry Hickford, in the more affluent precinct of Cosgrove.
After a career at MK Dons in 2012, he signed with Tottenham in 2015 and has been named young player of the year by the Professional Footballers’ Association twice. Dele refused to speak about his parents, including father Kehinde, 47, a businessman originally from Nigeria who now lives in Texas, saying his family situation is “all a bit complicated”. He plays only with the name “Dele” on his shirt as he feels “no connection” to the surname, saying simply: “It was a decision that had to be made.” He discussed his troubled childhood more frankly, however.
In the interview with ES Magazine, he said: “I got into the wrong crowd from an early age. Football was a great distraction from the path I was heading down. I’m very lucky to have met people who helped through the hardest of times and have helped me grow into the person I am today.” He added: “There’s a lot that people don’t know about me, but a lot of people seem to think they know about me … I’ve learned not to take anything for granted. I get to have football as a job. But you have to fight for things in life”.