I was scared – this was a big decision
DELE’S STINT IN REHAB
FOR Dele Alli, the feeling cannot have been stronger… or more powerful.
He knew he was at the crossroads of a football career which initially burnt so brightly, but then almost burnt out as he turned to sleeping pills and alcohol to obliterate the painful memories of his childhood.
He could retire and run away from his demons, or face them head on and try to reignite his love of the sport he credits with “saving his life”, along with the family who adopted him, having been a “drug dealer” at just eight years old.
It was the help and support of Everton, their manager Sean Dyche, below, and chairman Bill Kenwright that helped persuade him to take what he now believes is the “biggest decision of his life” following a disappointing loan spell at Turkish giants Besiktas last season.
Dele said: “When I came back from Turkey, I found out that I needed an operation and I was in a bad place mentally. I decided to go to a modern-day rehab facility for mental health.
“They deal with addiction, mental health and trauma because it was something that I felt it was time for. I went there for six weeks and Everton were amazing.
“They supported me 100 percent and I’ll be grateful to them forever. Whatever happens in the future, for them to be so open and honest and understanding, I couldn’t have asked for more. I was probably making the biggest decision of my life – something I was scared to do. But I’m happy I’ve done it and I couldn’t have expected it to go the way it did, and the support I got from them.” Dele, 27, has detailed – in a heartbreaking interview with Gary Neville on his podcast The Overlap, in partnership with Sky Bet – a descent into addiction that was sparked by a childhood of abuse and neglect.
He admits to struggling with the pressures of fame his early years as a teenage England star delivered, saying: “I love football, it saved my life, I owe everything to football – but it’s not as easy as everyone thinks it is. It’s not this high life.
“Yes, you have money, you can do a lot of things that you wouldn’t be able to do without it, but mentally, I don’t think people will understand until you’re in it, what it can do to you.
“Rejection, being told you’re not good enough, fighting every day. Even something like losing a game, it can affect you mentally, and you have to be ready, you have to be smiling the next day. When you’re not, it’s a problem.”
Dyche and Kenwright gave him the support he needed to finally get help for his mental health struggles. Team-mates past and present have also been hugely supportive. Dele added: “Inside I was definitely losing the battle, I could feel the feelings I had when the cycle begins and I didn’t want it to happen anymore. “Me and [Sean Dyche] have had some good conversations. I’d like to say a big thanks to him. I just want to get back to playing now. I’m ready for a big season and I’m more prepared to deal with any challenge that comes with it.”
DELE’S TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD: NEWS, PAGE 22-23