THE AMAZING RISE OF TOTTENHAM & ENGLAND MIDFIELDER
FROM humble beginnings to being lauded as the “best in the world”, the rise of Dele Alli has been a remarkable success story.
Dele, 21, is a far cry from many modern footballers who have come through the pampered academy system and that means he is unlikely to lose sight of his roots.
Maybe it is why Dele looks a bit embarrassed when told of a compliment from his manager. Mauricio Pochettino insisted upon telling us that he had just said in his press conference that Dele is the best 21-year-old in the world.
Pochettino wanted Dele to know what he had said, knew we would ask him about it and, despite his meteoric rise to stardom, knows that England’s brightest young midfielder will not let it go to his head.
“To have a manager who has that sort of trust and confidence in you, thinks so highly of you, is obviously a nice feeling,” said Dele. “I hope that one day he will be saying it more. He’s not said that to me yet, but it feels good.”
Dele is bright, articulate and thoughtful, with his feet firmly on the ground. He began at MK Dons as an 11-year-old, made his debut at 16, signed for Tottenham at 18 and made his England debut aged 19. His career has been a whirlwind.
But, starting out as a kid in Milton Keynes, it was a tough road because he could not even afford the £1 for training sessions.
“From Under-9 to Under-11s, I played in a Sunday league,” he said. “Before that, there was this scheme where you had to pay £1 to train, and I used to do that. But I wasn’t able to pay it and, in the end, they let me do it for free.
“When I was young I had quite big feet, so the older lads in the area used to give me their hand-me-down boots. They looked after me.
“There is a lot of pressure on the parents with a kid who wants to become a footballer. There is a lot of responsibility, having to drive them around everywhere. You see the academies now, they play all over the country.
“Milton Keynes was a bit different. But, when you come from where I came from, there were a lot more important things to spend a pound on than football training. Obviously, for me at the time, I thought it was all that mattered.
“But for families who are struggling it’s not the case. They need a lot of support. But when you are nine or 10, maybe the vision of your parents isn’t the same as what it is for you.”
Dele comes across as still a big kid at heart, not quite believing how quickly things have happened to him. He connected brilliantly with kids at a community event this week aimed at reducing crime and anti-social behaviour (below). The community league run by Tottenham Hotspur’s Foundation is designed to help 13 and 14-year-olds and get them back into education and away from crime.
“This new football league the club is running is a brilliant way of getting young people from this area together to play sport and meet friends within a safe environment,” said Dele.
When Dele was growing up, his dream was to play in a World Cup and this summer that will be realised with England in Russia.
“Competing in the World Cup and the Champions League, every kid will tell you they are what you want to be a part of, and to be a part of it now is surreal,” he added. “A lot happened to me really quickly. There’s moments where you step back and think, ‘How can this have happened to me?’
“But I’ve been working for it since I was a kid. There’s been a lot of decisions I’ve had to make and it’s all been to do this.
“Maybe I was surprised by how quickly it happened, but it’s always been my aim and I’ll keep working hard to achieve even more.”