The conversation quickly became an emotional affair. Twenty-seven-year-old Dele Alli had to wipe tears from his eyes when he remembered the cruel experiences of his childhood. Likewise, the former defender Gary Neville, who was sitting next to him, had understanding for the talented footballer and comforted him several times with an understanding touch. He didn’t hide his surprise at what he just learned…
“It happened when I was six years old. Then I was sexually harassed by my mum’s boyfriend,” the current Everton player began to tell his emotional story. And he continued. “I started smoking at the age of seven and a year later I was selling drugs. I even went to Africa to learn discipline,” he told secret childhood experiences of that time, which he cannot easily forget.
“When I was eleven, a man hung me from a bridge…I was adopted at twelve and everything changed from then on. I was adopted by a wonderful family. I couldn’t have asked for better people who have done so much for me. If God made people, it was them – they were amazing and helped me a lot,” Alli continued, admitting that he had trouble confiding in a new family with a rough time in his life.
“When I lived with them, it was hard for me to open up to them. I had the feeling that it would be easy for them to get rid of me again,” the native of Milton Keynes, England, who experienced football’s heyday in England’s Tottenham, where, however, over time his performances began to stagnate, continued to talk, and then he tried stints in Everton or Turkish Besiktas, where he was a guest last season.
Even here, difficulties did not take long. “When I came back from Turkey, I found out that I needed to undergo an operation. I was in a bad place mentally and decided to go to a modern rehabilitation facility for the mentally ill. They deal with addictions and trauma there. I felt that it was time for me too,” admitted Alli, who suffered from excessive alcohol consumption and sleeping pills. He underwent treatment for six weeks, with the help of the Everton club itself. “I will be forever grateful to them,” he said.
Dele Alli opening up to @GNev2 on the Overlap about his childhood trauma:
▪️ Sexually abused at 6-years old by his mother’s friend
▪️ Starting smoking at 7-years old
▪️ Sent to Africa to learn discipline at 7-years old
▪️ Forced to deal drugs at 8-years old
▪️ Hung off a bridge… pic.twitter.com/qmq7XgCred
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) July 13, 2023
There was not much left and the former promising player wrapped it up with top football. He thought about it at the age of 24, when he stopped riding regularly. “I remember staring at myself in the mirror and wondering if now was the right time to retire. At 24. To quit what I love,” he surprised. “I often fought with myself. I showed that I was happy, but inside I was losing this battle,” he continued.
The English representative’s emotional interview shocked. Neville, who led the discussion, will remember him for the rest of his life. “The most emotional, most difficult and at the same time most inspiring conversation I’ve had in my life,” he confided on Twitter. Support quickly came from Alli’s friend Cindy Kimberly. “I’m proud of you,” she wrote.
And while Alli was one of the first Everton players to return to pre-season training, it is not very realistic that he will remain at the Liverpool club during the next season itself. So far, coach Sean Dyche has refused to address the midfielder’s future. In the previous days, his former coach Mauricio Pochettino offered him help. “I want to help him and see what’s going on. He’s still young,” Chelsea’s new skipper told talkSport.
2023-07-13 11:35:04
#representatives #shocking #words #sexually #harassed #selling #drugs #thinking #career
