Alli: My only target is to play in next World Cup
Dele Alli believes he can return to the England squad and play in the next World Cup.
After years in the doldrums following well-publicised off-field problems, the 28-year-old Everton midfielder says he is sure he can revive his career at the top level. He told Sky’s Monday Night Football he reminds himself daily of his ambitious international target.
“I know my level where I can get to when my head is in the right place,” said Alli. “You know you can set reminders on your phone? I have a reminder at 11 o’clock every day. World Cup 2026. That’s my aim. People will say, ‘He hasn’t played in a year’. I don’t care. I know where my level is.
“The only target I have for now is the World Cup. I take it day by day to get over my injury. I will be fully training as the season is ending. As a player you want to push yourself.”
It is nearly a year since the interview that revealed the depth of Alli’s childhood trauma and he said he can now see “a light at the end” of the tunnel.
Alli has not featured in the Premier League for his club since August 2022, with his last appearance on loan at Besiktas in February of last year. But he clarified that he was still out injured rather than taking a break from the game.
“I am doing really well,” Alli said. “I’m feeling good, obviously injured, which is disappointing, but I am doing well. I can see the light at the end, so I’m excited.”
Last July, Alli spoke to Gary Neville on The Overlap podcast for a wide-ranging interview which covered his abuse as a six-year-old by a friend of his biological mother, smoking by seven and dealing drugs at eight. Alli also revealed he had spent time in rehab to treat an addiction to sleeping pills. “Coming out of rehab has been tough but it has been a journey and I am enjoying it,” Alli, whose contract with Everton expires this summer, said last night.
Ironically, his appearance on TV last night has effectively saved Everton a small fortune. When he moved to Goodison on an initial free transfer, the deal stipulated that the Merseyside club would have to pay Tottenham Hotspur £10million when he made 20 Premier League appearances.
But if he plays in every remaining Everton league fixture until the end of the current season, the maximum number of top-flight games he can play is 19.