Sexual assault, drugs, sleeping pills … Dele Alli, England football star, hope

Football – When he started in professional football, a lot of hope was placed on him. Briton Dele Alli, now 27, may have cut his career short.

On the podcast overlapThe former international told Gary Neville how he discovered drug dealing aged eight before being adopted by a new family aged 12.

“When I was six years old, my mother’s friend who used to visit the house touched me. My mother is an alcoholicDele Alli says. “Then I was sent to Africa (with his father) to learn discipline and then they sent me back to England. At seven I started smoking, at eight I started selling drugs..

“An adult told me they wouldn’t arrest a kid on a bike, so I was kicking my football over myself and hiding drugs, I was eight years old.”Details of 2017 England runners-up and 2019 Champions League final with Tottenham.

“At the age of twelve I was adopted by a wonderful family and I couldn’t have asked for better people to take care of me”He continued.

The English international (37 caps), a key part of the England team that reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, then Alli fell in favor of “Spurs” before trying to bounce back at Everton and then went on loan to Besiktas. Last season.

Dangers of sleeping pill addiction in football

“The saddest moment for me was when (Jose) Mourinho was the manager (at Tottenham) and he stopped me from playing. I remember being in the wrong place and looking in the mirror to see if I could retire now at 24.He still believed.

Alli, who chose to speak out in the hope of helping other victims, also warned of the dangers of sleeping pill addiction in football, where players are often prescribed the pills before and after matches.

“I’m addicted to sleeping pills, maybe it’s a problem, I’m not the only one, I think it’s more than people believe in football”He explained that he went to rehab for six weeks. “Inside, I definitely felt like I was losing the battle. »

“Going to rehab was definitely scary, but I never imagined how much I would grow and how much it would help me mentally.”He declared.

Everyone at Everton respects and admires Dele’s courageThe club wrote in a statement, while explaining that no interviews related to his treatment would be granted to protect his privacy.

His former Tottenham team-mate and England captain Harry Kane also praised his friend’s bravery on Twitter: “Proud to talk about @dele_official and share his experience to try to help others”.

See more The HuffPost :