![\"Alli](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/skysports-dele-alli-gary-neville_6217426-696x392.jpg\" "\\"Alli")
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Dele Alli has revealed he was sexually abused at the age of six.<\/p>\n
In a candid and emotional interview, the 27-year-old also revealed he had an addiction to sleeping tablets and disclosed how he spent six weeks in rehab in the USA this summer.<\/p>\n
After winning the last of his 37 England caps in 2019, Alli fell out of favour at Tottenham which prompted a transfer to Everton, where he has since struggled to make an impact, spending last season on loan at Besiktas.<\/p>\n
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In an interview with Gary Neville on\u00a0The Overlap,\u00a0<\/em>Alli revealed how childhood trauma had contributed to the problems he has encountered in recent years.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were a few incidents that can give you a brief understanding,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAt six, I was molested by my mum\u2019s friend who was at the house a lot. My mum was an alcoholic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was sent to Africa to learn discipline. Then I was sent back. Seven, I started smoking. Eight I started dealing drugs, selling drugs. An older person told me they wouldn\u2019t stop a kid so I\u2019d ride around with my football and then underneath I\u2019d have the drugs.<\/p>\n \u201cEleven, I was hung off a bridge by a guy from the next estate. At 12, I was adopted. And from then, I was adopted by an amazing family, I couldn\u2019t have asked for better people to do what they\u2019ve done for me\u2026If God created people, it was them. They are amazing and have helped me a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Alli also revealed he had received treatment for addiction this summer.<\/p>\n \u201cI got addicted to sleeping tablets and it\u2019s probably not a problem only I have. I think it\u2019s something that\u2019s going around more than people realise in football.\u201d<\/p>\n The England international, who spent last season on loan at Besiktas, added: \u201cNow is probably the right time to tell people. It\u2019s tough to talk about it as it\u2019s quite recent and something I\u2019ve hid for a long time and I\u2019m scared to talk about. When I came back from Turkey, I came back and found out I needed an operation.<\/p>\n \u201cI was in a bad place mentally. I decided to go to a modern rehab facility that deals with addiction and mental health and trauma. I felt it was time for me. You can\u2019t be told to go there, you have to make the decision yourself.<\/p>\n \u201cI was in a bad cycle. I was relying on things that were doing me harm. I was waking up every day, winning the fight going into training every day smiling \u2013 willing to show I was happy. Inside I was losing the battle and it was time to change. When I was told I needed surgery I could feel the feelings I had when the cycle began.<\/p>\n \u201cEverton were amazing and supported me. I will be grateful to them forever. For them to be so honest and understanding I couldn\u2019t ask for anything more during a time I was making the biggest decision of my life \u2013 doing something I was scared to do. I\u2019m happy I\u2019ve done it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Sleeping tablets helped me fix something I didn\u2019t know I could\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Alli on his addiction to sleeping tablets:<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBefore when I\u2019d stop, I\u2019d still sometimes have the urge, but I\u2019d maintain [being] sober for a period of time and then there\u2019d always be a time where something would happen, I\u2019d get the feelings back and I\u2019d want to escape. I was taking a lot \u2013 I don\u2019t want to talk about numbers, but it was definitely way too much.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd there were some scary moments. The teams give you them for a reason \u2013 to sleep. I wasn\u2019t taking them to sleep, I\u2019d take them throughout the day, sometimes from 11am if I had the day off. I would never take them if I was playing, but I\u2019d start early if I had the day off, just to escape from the reality.<\/p>\n \u201cIt started with a doctor giving them to me and then it turned into more than that. When you want something, you\u2019ll find a way. At the start, it was one to sleep \u2013 and, for most people, that\u2019s fine. You can handle that, that\u2019s all you need. But, for me, it was fixing something else that I didn\u2019t know I could fix.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018People don\u2019t realise the mental toll of football\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Alli on the moment he contemplated retirement:<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong, I love football. It\u2019s saved my life. I owe everything to football. But it\u2019s not just as easy as everyone thinks it is. Yes, you have money and you can do a lot of things you wouldn\u2019t be able to do without it, but mentally, until you\u2019re in it, I don\u2019t think people will ever understand what it can do to you.<\/p>\n \u201cProbably the saddest moment for me was when Jose Mourinho was [Tottenham] manager. I was 24. I remember there was one session \u2013 this is when he\u2019d stopped playing me \u2013 I was in a bad place and I remember just looking in the mirror. It sounds dramatic, but I was literally staring in the mirror and asking if I could retire now, at 24, doing the thing I love.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, that was heart-breaking to even have had that thought. That hurt me and was another thing I had to carry.\u201d<\/p>\n Everton and PFA praise Alli\u2019s disclosure<\/strong><\/p>\n After the interview was released, Everton issued a statement commending Alli\u2019s bravery and asking for his privacy to be respected.<\/p>\n An Everton spokesperson said: \u201cThe club has been supporting Dele in both his return to fitness and overcoming the personal challenges highlighted in his interview with The Overlap.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone at Everton respects and applauds Dele\u2019s bravery to speak about the difficulties he has faced, as well as seek the help required.<\/p>\n \u201cThe physical and mental welfare of all our players is of paramount importance. The club takes very seriously its responsibility in protecting the confidentiality of players and staff.<\/p>\n \u201cDele will not be conducting any further interviews in relation to his rehabilitation, and we ask that his privacy is respected while he continues his recuperation from injury and receives the full care and support needed for his physical and mental wellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n The Professional Footballers\u2019 Association issued a statement on Twitter in response to Alli\u2019s interview.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s incredibly brave of Dele to tell his story with such honesty in this important interview with @gnev2,\u201d the union\u2019s statement read.<\/p>\n \u201cHearing Dele speak with such openness will make a difference, and his desire to use his own experiences to act as an inspiration to others \u2013 inside and outside of football \u2013 is something he should be extremely proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n