Dele Alli has bravely opened up on experiencing childhood sexual abuse, saying he recently got out of rehab to deal with addiction and trauma.
The Everton midfielder conducted a interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap, which was released on Thursday.
Alli spoke to Neville about a number of topics, including an addition to sleeping pills, a troublesome relationship with alcohol, and the trauma he experienced as a child.
“I was waking up every day, and I was winning the fight, going into training, smiling, showing that I was happy. But inside, I was definitely losing the battle and it was time for me to change it,” Alli said.
Alli marked himself as one of England’s most talented young players at Tottenham after joining from MK Dons in 2015. The midfielder became a regular for England as well, helping the Three Lions to the 2018 World Cup semifinal.
But Alli has undergone a major drop in form in recent years. He moved to Everton in January 2022 but struggled to make an impact before going on loan to Turkish side Besiktas last season.
After returning injured from Besiktas, Alli said he made the decision to enter rehab.
“When I came back from Turkey, I found out I needed an operation and I was in a bad place mentally,” he said. “I decided to go to a modern-day rehab facility for mental health. They deal with addiction, mental health and trauma.
“I felt like it was time for me. You can’t be told to go there. You have to know and make the decision yourself or it’s not going to work. I was caught in a bad cycle. I was relying on things that were doing me harm.”
I’m struggling to find the words to put with this post but please watch my most recent interview with Dele. It’s the most emotional, difficult yet inspirational conversation I’ve ever had in my life. Watch the interview on @wearetheoverlap here https://t.co/60d4IZwQmR pic.twitter.com/0cZowJGW77
— Gary Neville (@GNev2) July 13, 2023
Alli said that he turned to alcohol and sleeping pills to help him deal with the pain of trauma he suffered as a child.
“It’s been going on for a long time without me realizing it,” said Alli. “Things I was doing to numb the feelings I had: I didn’t realize I was doing it for that purpose, whether it be drinking or whatever.
“It started with that and then I got addicted to sleeping tablets. It’s probably a problem that not only I have but it’s something going around more than people realize in football. Maybe me coming out and speaking about it can help people.
“I definitely abused them too much. I would stop sometimes and go a few months without them but I was never really dealing with the problem.
“It got really bad at some points and I didn’t understand how bad it was but I was never dealing with the root of the problem, which was — when I was growing up — the traumas I had and the feelings I was holding on to.”
Alli would open up about exactly what kind of traumas he had experienced as a child.
“At six I was molested by my mom’s friend who was at the house a lot,” he said. “My mom was an alcoholic.
“I was sent to Africa [to stay with his father] to learn discipline, and then I was sent back,” he said. “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.
“At 12, I was adopted — I was adopted by an amazing family, I couldn’t have asked for better people to do what they’ve done for me.”
Alli said that after his stint in rehab and sharing his story, he is now motivated to get healthy and return to prominence for Everton.
“Mentally I’m probably in the best place I’ve ever been,” he said. “I feel good. Obviously I’m injured at the minute but I’ve got that passion back for football. I’m doing really well.”
He added: “I look back and I did good, but I’m not satisfied with that. You can’t drive your car looking in the rear-view mirror. The journey from here is just exciting for me.”
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