Heal family rift, Dele Alli told
LONDON. — The estranged sister of Tottenham Hotspur star Dele Alli has called for the England midfielder to heal his rift with his family. Alli doesn’t speak to his parents and older sister Barbara Johnson has posted on her Instagram page begging the Spurs man to get back in touch. Posting a picture of last weekend’s Mirror’s story with Alli’s parents, Barbara posted: “What a heartbreaking story, hope you read this bro @delealli36.”
LONDON. - The estranged sister of Tottenham Hotspur star Dele Alli has called for the England midfielder to heal his rift with his family.
Alli doesn’t speak to his parents and older sister Barbara Johnson has posted on her Instagram page begging the Spurs man to get back in touch.
Posting a picture of last weekend’s Mirror’s story with Alli’s parents, Barbara posted: “What a heartbreaking story, hope you read this bro @delealli36.
“We all miss you and love you dearly, we are not after your money or your fame we just want our little #Delbot back, love you lots like jelly tots xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.”
Barbara’s Instagram page is fully dedicated to her brother, and is named “deleallisnumber1fan”.
Alli moved out of his family home aged 13 with his mother concerned the area they lived in could jeopardise his football career.
The heartbroken parents of England footballer Dele Alli revealed their despair at having no part in the superstar’s life.
In an extraordinary interview, Dele’s mum Denise repeatedly breaks down as she tells how she now cries herself to sleep at night over the ordeal.
And his father Kehinde, a multi-millionaire businessman, tells how the only thing missing in his life is his first-born son.
Despite splitting when Dele was a child, his parents came together last week and spoke out in a desperate bid to repair their relationship with the £60 000-a-week Spurs midfielder.
As they opened up family albums to reveal happy photos of Dele’s childhood Kehinde (47) recently said: “I just do not understand what we have done wrong.”
Mum Denise said: “I just do not understand what we have done wrong.
“He refuses to speak to me and it feels like he’s been taken from us. But I won’t give up on getting him back.
“I’m a very miserable person because I get so sad that Dele is missing out on his family and we’re missing out on him.
“I want to be able to hug him and let him know we all love him to bits.
“I’m not interested in his money, I’d love him the same if he worked in McDonald’s. We just want our son back.”
Mum Denise denies claims she couldn’t look after Dele because she was an alcoholic.
Dele (20) is considered English football’s biggest rising star.
He won the prestigious PFA Young Player of the Year award at the end of last season and is now being linked with a mega-money move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
But while his career has rocketed since leaving home-town club Milton Keynes Dons, his relationship with his parents has completely broken down.
Neither has been able to see him since he signed for Tottenham in February 2015 - an estrangement which has not only broken their hearts but left them bewildered.
Recalling him leaving, Denise said: “He was in great spirits and said, ‘I love you mum’. I had no idea that would be the last time I would see him. It still leaves me shocked.”
Last August it emerged Dele would no longer wear Alli on the back of his shirt, as he said he felt “no connection” to the name. The young star - red-carded against Belgian side Gent in a Europa League tie on February 23 - has also changed his mobile number and moved home.
Both Kehinde and Denise have made a series of desperate attempts to see Dele at Tottenham games, at the training ground and even by joining stadium tours.
Dele was born in Milton Keynes, Bucks, in April 1996 just over a year after his parents first met in a nightclub.
At the time Kehinde, originally from Nigeria, was studying for a Masters at De Montfort University. He and Denise, then a full-time mum of two, married after a whirlwind romance. They broke up three years after Dele was born. In 2000 Kehinde moved to Canada for work, returning to the UK regularly.
Despite the distance the couple stayed close, with Kehinde supporting Denise and all her children. When Dele was eight, Kehinde moved back to his home city of Lagos.
The youngster - a prince of Nigeria’s Yoruba tribe through birth - soon moved there to join him. They lived in a 10-room mansion where Dele led a life of luxury, being waited on by three maids and attending a private £20 000-a-year international school. Dele later moved with Kehinde to another mansion in Houston, Texas, and was best man at his dad’s wedding to Lola in 2006.
He returned to England aged 11 after his talent for football and obsession with the game became clear.
Kehinde says: “It was hard for me to let him go but I knew it was the best thing for him and his ambition.”
After returning to Milton Keynes to live with Denise, Dele began playing for junior side City Colts. He was quickly spotted by youth scouts from the town’s Football League club MK Dons.
Denise said: “When he was about 13 Dele began training at MK Dons five days a week. So for convenience he began staying at his best friend’s house during the week, before coming home at weekends. It was hard to let him live away from home, but we didn’t have a car and I was finding it hard to get him to training myself.
“It has been said that I was suffering from alcoholism and I gave him up because I couldn’t look after him, but that is a lie. I wanted to give him the best chance of achieving his dream, but he was still my son and I was there for him whenever he needed me. He was never adopted by his friend’s parents - I would not have allowed it. My kids are my world.” - The Mirror.