Escape from the streets and into the limelight – the story of Dele Alli
Image Courtesy: ©Tottenham Hotspur Media
"I was going to throttle him.
"I can't say what I said but it was along the lines of 'the cheeky little something or another'.” MK Dons boss Karl Robinson told BBC.
He was talking about the kid, who is the talk of the town at the moment – Dele Alli. The incident Robinson was referring to was when a 16-year-old Alli made his debut for MK Dons, against Cambridge City in an FA Cup first round fixture.
Youth brings along audacity, and Alli had the skills to boot. The youngster's first touch in professional football was a brash, yet precise, back-heel pass to his teammate. For someone as 'English' – read prosaic – as Karl Robinson, Alli's boldness was arrogant, and more importantly, it was unnecessary.
Despite his manager's threat to 'throttle' him, eleven days later, it was the same uninhibited flair that saw him score from 35 yards in the FA Cup replay against Cambridge – which the Dons won 6-1.
That was back in 2012 (November), against a club which plies their trade in the lowly Southern Football League – which, along with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League, forms levels seven and eight of the English football league system. Two years and nine months later, Alli nutmegged Luka Modric of Real Madrid, in front of a 70,000 sell-out crowd at Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena.
Back to present day, the 19-year-old star has established himself as one of the lynchpins in Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham side, who are currently in a position of strength to win the league title after a long, long wait of 55 years.
However, it has not been a leisurely walk in the park for him.
Born to a Nigerian father and an English mother, Dele Alli had a rocky childhood. Kenny, his dad, and his mother (Denise) separated a week after he was born. Denise was troubled by alcoholism, and constantly ran into trouble with the Social Services.
In a recent interview, Alli attributed his expressive style of play to the 'street football' matches he grew up playing back in the days with his friends. Yet, it was the streets which gave nightmares to his mother.
The Bradwell Area in Milton Keynes, where Alli grew up, is infamous for gang violence, and the Tottenham star could have easily had a completely different life at this point.
“All the kids Dele’s age were on the streets smoking, arguing and robbing. Some ended up in prison. I was worried my son would be tempted by that hood life.
“He was challenging at times, like most lads. He had to change secondary school and never settled at his first school,” Alli's mother said in an interview to the Sun.
It was this fear, that forced Alli's mother to allow Alan and Sally Hickford, who lived in the post area of Cosgrove, to adopt her son, although the process was never legally accomplished. It also helped that Harry Hickford, Alan and Sally's biological son, was a budding footballer himself, and would later join MK Dons as a defender.
“The Hickfords weren’t my friends but they had a nice home and I knew I had to give my son this chance to move on with his life and succeed.
“When he left, there were no tears, just a sense of relief because I knew he would be off the streets and safe,” Denise added.
Perhaps it is this experience of street football and life, which had instilled an underlying aggression in his game. Something which was on display in the 1-1 draw against Fiorentina in Europa League on Thursday. Alli was seen kicking out at Nenad Tomovic, and was lucky to escape a sending off.
In the post match press conference, Pochettino accepted that Alli “is a little bit naughty”.
"He's still very young and needs to learn a lot, he came from League One. He's a little bit naughty. But it's good. I like it. I was like that. I was naughty like him,” the Tottenham manager said.
Not just Pochettino though, the fans have adored his 'naughtiness' as well. While a lot of sportspersons have struggled to master the modern day beast called social media, Dele Alli has 'waved' his way through it.
Be it the famous 'Dele wave', the bromance he shares with Eric Dier, his impressive interviewing skills or the hilarious myspace picture – Alli is winning over fans on internet across the world. The fact that he is not afraid to laugh at himself, a trait rarely found these days, makes him one of the most likeable footballers in the Premier League currently.
A lots changed in 5 years 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/JLyUDNbxI4
— Dele Alli (@Dele_Alli) January 12, 2016
Of course, social media popularity apart, he has performed on the field. Since making his debut against Manchester United, against whom he gained a lot of attention following his MK Dons' 4-0 win over them in the 2004 League Cup, at the start of this season, Dele Alli has grown in stature.
He established his credentials with a dazzling performance against Arsenal, where he ran rings around Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin, which eventually led to the Spaniard being substituted at half-time by Arsene Wenger. It was a moment of triumph that Alli will hold dear for a long time, and although the derby ended in a 1-1 draw, the Tottenham fans went home with the bragging rights.
Mauricio Pochettino should fetch a lot of credit for the way he has handled Alli as well. The Argentine has already made a name for himself for ushering through young talents during his time at Espanyol and Southampton, and now he is molding a young, and exciting, Tottenham side into title contenders.
Initially, the 43-year-old used Alli in the two-man midfield pivot in the 4-2-3-1 formation, mostly partnering his close friend Dier. But like his idol Steven Gerrard, on whom he has modeled his game, Alli displayed tremendous attacking intent. Eventually, Pochettino pushed him up the pitch and opted to play him in a free role behind Harry Kane, and the youngster has prospered since then. Playing alongside someone like Christian Eriksen will also help in his development as a player.
The 19-year-old has already contributed to 12 goals (7 goals and 5 assists) in 20 starts in the Premier League this season, and the numbers are only likely to improve. While the stats are impressive for someone who is still in his teens, it is the manner in which he has achieved them, stands out from the rest.
On January 6, Tottenham were finding it hard to break down Crystal Palace away from home, and both the teams were tied at 1-1. In the 84th minute, Harry Kane picked out Christian Eriksen at the edge of the Palace box with a sweeping cross from the right wing. The Danish midfielder headed the ball to Alli, and thousands of fans across the world dropped their jaws in unison as the Englishman produced a moment of magic.
With his first touch he volleyed the ball up in the air, with his second touch he dinked the ball over the top of Jedinak, and with his third touch he volleyed the ball into the bottom corner of the net from outside of the box.
Despite the change in his role to an attacking midfielder, Alli's defensive contribution remains impressive. Wonder-goals, crunching tackles – the youngster was not kidding when he said that he wants to emulate Gerrard.
He is seemingly already a favorite of England manager Roy Hodgson, and most have tipped him to be a part of the Euro squad of England, specially with Jack Wilshere continuing to struggle with his fitness. The Arsenal midfielder's current state is a cautionary tale in itself though. Much like Alli, Wilshere was expected to be the next big thing for England. Yet, eight years since he broke into the Arsenal first team squad, Wilshere has not made the transformation from being a bright prospect to a world-class footballer.
Pochettino will have to protect him from burnout however. Even Alli's hero Steven Gerrard suffered from a back problem as a result of accelerated growth and excessive playing during his teenage years.
With the title within their reach, and just 12 games remaining in the league, it will be a hard task for the manager to rest any of his key players though. And the fact that someone who was playing in League One last season could prove to be a decisive factor in the title race, shows how far the kid from Bradwell has come in the last one year.
