Dele Alli reveals he was molested by his mother’s friend at six-years-old

Dele Alli has revealed that he was molested by one his ‘mum’s friends’ at the age of six, as the Everton star reflected on his difficult upbringing in a tell-all interview.

Alli, 27, shot to the forefront of world football in the early years of his career but has struggled to maintain that success in recent years.

His time at Tottenham shone a light on one of the sport’s brightest talents but, with problems both on and off the pitch, it was difficult for Alli to maintain.

And now, in an interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap, Alli gave an insight into some of the harrowing incidents that have affected both his life and career.

‘[My childhood is] something I haven’t really spoken about that much, to be honest,’ he said. ‘I mean, I think there were a few incidents that could give you kind of a brief understanding. 

‘So, at six, I was molested by my mum’s friend, who was at the house a lot. My mum was an alcoholic, and that happened at six. I was sent to Africa to learn discipline, and then I was sent back. At seven, I started smoking, eight I started dealing drugs. 

‘An older person told me that they wouldn’t stop a kid on a bike, so I rode around with my football, and then underneath I’d have the drugs, that was eight. Eleven, I was hung off a bridge by a guy from the next estate, a man.

‘Twelve, I was adopted – and from then, it was like – I was adopted by an amazing family like I said, I couldn’t have asked for better people to do what they’d done for me. 

‘If God created people, it was them. They were amazing, and they’ve helped me a lot, and that was another thing, you know – when I started living with them, it was hard for me to really open up to them, because I felt within myself, it was easy to get rid of me again. 

‘I tried to be the best kid I could be for them. I stayed with them from 12, and then started playing first-team, professionally, at 16. It all sort of took off from there.’

In 2016, Alli’s mother revealed how her ‘serious drinking problem’ led to her giving him away to his adoptive family. 

‘I had to let him go to give him a better future. Emotionally, it was heartbreaking but it was the right thing to do,’ she told The Sun.

‘I had a serious drink problem triggered by my unhappy childhood. Social Services visited me after complaints from my neighbours about how I was raising my children but my kids were never taken away.

‘It was my decision to let Dele live with another family. I knew that was the only way he could fulfil his dream of becoming a professional footballer.’

More to follow… 

Dele Alli was talking to The Overlap in partnership with Sky Bet