Dele Alli

At 28 years old, Dele Alli has this physical status:

Club career

Alli started with Milton Keynes Dons as a youth player at the age of 11 after playing for City Colts. In the FA Cup first round at Milton Road, he made his debut for the first team as a sixteen-year-old on November 2, 2012, starring Jay O'Shea as a 64th-minute replacement for him in a 0–0 draw. It was his first touch in professional football when he was a back-heeled pass. In a 6–1 victory at Stadium MK on his first start, his first goal came in the replay against Cambridge eleven days later. He made his league debut in a 2–3 loss to Coventry City at home on December 29th, where he played 71 minutes before being replaced by Zeli Ismail. Patrick Bamford's second-half replacement in the second game of the season, a 2–0 win over Broadhall Way in his first appearance in the 2012-13 Football League One season.

Alli made the jump into the MK Dons first squad on a regular basis in 2013-14. He started the Dons' season-opening match at Shrewsbury Town, where he drew a 0–0 draw away. Alli scored in his first Football League Trophy appearance to help MK Dons beat Northampton Town 2–0 and advance to the second round of the tournament. Alli scored his first professional league goal in Stevenage's 4–1 victory on September 28. Alli will continue to play and out of the first team picture in late 2013 due to injuries, setbacks, and establish himself as a first-choice player in 2014. Stephen Gleeson's pinpoint pass gave him the lead in a 3–2 victory over Shrewsbury Town on January 11, 2013. Alli, who was 17 years and 11 months old, guided the Dons to a 3-1 victory over Meadow Lane on Monday. MK Dons defeated Coventry 2–1 on Thursday, his next and final goal of the 2013–14 season came at the Sixfields Stadium; Alli struck a volley from 25 yards out as MK Dons defeated Coventry 2–1. During the 2013–14 season, he made 37 appearances in all sports, scoring 7 times, with 33 appearances and 6 goals in the league.

Alli became the first-choice central midfield partner to Darren Potter after Gleeson's departure to Birmingham City in June 2014. He began the season by shining in the Dons' first league match of the season, defeating Gillingham, 4–2. In the League Cup first round, he assisted the team in defeating arch-enemies, AFC Wimbledon, 3–1. In the first away league match, he lost 3–2 to Peterborough United, where he scored a tap-in from Will Grigg's deflected shot, his first goal of the 2014-15 season.

MK Dons defeated Manchester United 4–0 in the League Cup second round on August 26th, with Alli playing the full 90 minutes. Several scouts from top clubs around Europe attended the game to see him perform, including representatives from Bayern Munich and Liverpool, according to reports. With a goal curled in from the edge of the box in a 2–0 victory over Crawley Town, Alli maintained his rich vein of form in the match, winning by 4–0 League Cup over Manchester United. Alli played 77 minutes against Barnsley, assisting the Dons' second goal and scoring their third goal in the Dons' 5-3 victory, with a chip over the Barnsley goalkeeper. For August, he was selected as the Football League Young Player of the Month.

Alli extended his deal with MK Dons until June 2017. In what turned out to be a 6–1 victory for the Dons two days later, he scored a hat-trick and one assist. It was his second hat-trick of his career, and the first he did at home, which culminated in him receiving the Man of the Match award.

Alli signed for Premier League Hotspur in the last hours of the mid-season transfer window on a five-and-a-half-year contract for a modest sum of £5 million.

Alli was immediately loaned back to MK Dons for the remainder of the 2014–15 season following his move to Tottenham Hotspur. He was voted Young Player of the Year at the Football League Awards on April 19th. Milton Keynes Dons were promoted automatically to the Championship after defeating relegated Yeovil Town 5–1.

Alli made his Tottenham debut against Manchester United in the Premier League on August 8th, defeating Old Trafford as a replacement, and he spent the last 13 minutes in place of Eric Dier. After going back for Christian Eriksen in the 1–1 draw against Leicester City two weeks later, he scored his first goal for the club.

Alli got off to a 1–0 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on September 13th. He started and scored his second goal in an eventual 3–1 win over Aston Villa on November 2nd. In the 1–1 draw between Arsenal and Tottenham, he began his first North London Derby with fellow England youngster Dier in central midfield, and was named Man of the Match. In a 1–1 draw with West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on December 5, 2015, he scored his third goal for Tottenham in the 2015–16 season.

Following an outstanding start to his Premier League career, scoring five goals and assisting in his first 18 league games, he was given a new long-term deal until 2021. In a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace, Eleven days later, he scored a 25-yard volley, but as Dele Alli's goal at Selhurst Park, "it was sheer class"; BBC Sport pundit and former Spurs player Garth Crooks commented, "I've seen some spectacular goals scored in my time watching football games. He was named on the six-man shortlist for 2015–16's PFA Young Player of the Year on April 13th.

Alli scored his first brace for Tottenham in a 0–4 away victory at Stoke City on April 18, 2016, scoring ten goals in his first Premier League appearance of the season. On April 24, he was named the season's PFA Young Player of the Year. Alli was banned by the Football Association for three games, effectively ending his Premier League season, after an off-the-ball match against West Bromwich Albion in which he punched midfielder Claudio Yacob in the stomach on April 28. "Gutted that my season is over," he said on Twitter. Shouldn't have reacted the way I did. Will learn from this and come back stronger."

Alli changed his kit name to Dele, saying he had "no connection" to his legal surname as a result of his separation from his mother, which was "no relation" to his legal surname. In a 4–0 victory over Stoke City on September 10, 2016, his first goal of the season was scored. In a 1–2 loss to AS Monaco at Wembley Stadium four days later, he made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 1–2 loss. On December 7, 2016, he scored his first Champions League goal against CSKA Moscow at the same stadium. Alli scored eight goals in six league matches between December 2016 and January 2017, earning the award of Premier League Player of the Month for January 2017. This was the third brace against Southampton, Watford, and Chelsea.

Alli was given his first red card for a reckless tackle on Brecht Dejaegere in Tottenham's UEFA Europa League draw with K.A.A. on February 23rd. Spurs were eliminated at the Round of 32 stage of the competition, according to Gent. Alli was still in the PFA Team of the Year on April 20th, having been included in the League One pick for 2015 and the Premier League pick in 2016. He was voted PFA Young Player of the Year on April 23rd, the day after scoring in Tottenham's 4–2 FA Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.

In the first game of the 2017–18 season at Newcastle, Alli scored his first goal of the season, winning by 2–0. However, he was chastised for his inconsistency this season, with his season failing to be as good as the previous season. Alli scored twice in the away match against Chelsea on April 1, 2017, helping Tottenham win 3–1, their first victory in 28 years at Stamford Bridge.

Alli scored his first goal of the season on August 11, 2018, scoring the winning goal in the first league match against Newcastle United.

Alli was appointed captain of Tottenham's EFL Cup third round tie against Watford on September 26th. The match, which took place at Stadium MK due to delays in the completion of Tottenham's new stadium, marked Alli's return to his boyhood club Milton Keynes Dons' completion and his first return to his hometown town, Milton Keynes, as a Tottenham player. The match ended 2–2, with Alli scoring both a penalty and the winning penalty in a deciding penalty shoot-out.

Alli signed a new six-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur in October 2018, extending his tenure at the club until 2024. He scored in Chelsea's 3–1 home win over Chelsea, his sixth goal in five games against Chelsea, and Chelsea's first loss in the Premier League this season. In January 2019, he was ruled out until March for a hamstring injury.

Because of a hamstring injury, Alli missed the start of the season. On September 1, 2019, he rejoined the team in the North London Derby as a replacement. In the match against Watford, he scored his first goal of the season, drawing 1–1. Mauricio Pochettino was fired by the club in November 2019 and replaced by José Mourinho. Mourinho started playing for Alli as an attacking player just behind Harry Kane, reverting to his former position after playing in a deeper midfield role for the past two years. "Dele is not a midfield player," Mourinho says. Alli's freedom was given him more opportunities to score, and he scored three goals in his first three games under Mourinho, two of which came against Bournemouth.

Alli posted a video on his Snapchat account in February 2020 in which he appeared to mock an Asian man while boasting about the COVID-19 outbreak. Alli was seen wearing a face mask at Heathrow Airport as he waited for his flight to Dubai before the camera zoomed in on a bottle of antiseptic handwash, implying that the Asian man in the terminal might be contaminated with the virus. The video was captioned: "The virus gunna [sic] must be faster than that to attract me." Alli was found guilty of a "aggravated violation" of the FA law, which includes references to race, colour, ethnic origin, and/or nationality, and was found to have used a "unacceptable racial stereotype" by the regulatory commission in June 2020. Alli was suspended by the Football Association in June 2020 for one match, leaving him ineligible for Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League match against Manchester United on June 19th. He was also fined £50,000 and ordered to enroll in an education course.

Alli was apparently out of favour with Mourinho in the first half of the 2020-21 season, with few games getting off to a good start. In the Europa League play-off match against Maccabi Haifa on October 1, 2020, the majority of his starts in games were in the UEFA Europa League, and he scored his first goal of the season. He scored a crucial goal with a bicycle kick in the Europa last-32 match against Wolfsberg on February 24, 2021, kicking off a 4–0 draw with two more assists. On March 4, he made his first appearance in the Premier League in six months, when his shot at goal was deflected off a defender for an own goal. This season, he appeared in seven Premier League games.

Alli scored his first goal of the season on August 2221 in a 1–0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, scoring his only goal. This was Alli's first Premier League goal since March 2020. He continued to fail to recover his form. Nuno Esprito Santo, the boss, attempted to bring him back to the team, but it was short lived as Nuno was replaced by Antonio Conte in early November. In Conte's scheme for Tottenham, Dele failed to find a role under new ownership and became a fringe player. Alli was made available for transfer by Tottenham in January 2022, having played just eight league games (two under Conte) in the 2021–22 season.

On January 31, 2022, Alli moved to Everton in the Premier League for the first free transfer, although it could increase to £40 million if such success benchmarks are met. Everton's first £10 million will be due after 20 appearances. He has been on a two-and-a-half-year deal, with some of the 2023-24 seasons still on file. Alli cited the opportunity to work under new manager Frank Lampard as a major reason for joining Everton. In a 3–1 loss to Newcastle United, he made his debut on February 8th as a late replacement. He struggled to make a mark at Everton, with 11 appearances and just 1 start in the 2021–22 season, as well as two more in the 2022–23 season. In 13 games, he did not score or register an assist.

Alli joined Turkish team Beşiktaş on loan for the remainder of the 2022–23 season, with the opportunity to buy for the Turkish team. In his second year with the club, he scored his first goal in over a year, leading the club to a 3–2 victory over Ankaragücü on September 4th 2022.

International career

Alli has appeared at U17 and U18 level for England. Following an impressive start to the season, Alli was called up to the England U19 squad on August 27th. In the 1–1 draw against Germany U19, he made his England U19 debut against him. Alli was involved in the match's opening goal by handing a through ball to Bradley Fewster, who gave England a 1–0 lead.

It was revealed in February 2015 that John Fashanu will try to convince Alli to play for Nigeria. However, he was also selected in Roy Hodgson's England squad for the final UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier matches against Estonia and Lithuania on October 1st. On October 9, he made his debut against the former, appearing as a late substitute for Ross Barkley in a 2–0 win.

Alli made his England senior debut on November 17th in a 2–0 victory over France on November 17, 2015. On March 26, 2016, he was once more included in the starting lineup for England's friendly match against world champions Germany. As England recovered from 0–2 down to win 3–2 at the Berlin Olympiastadion, Alli was dubbed man of the match by the BBC Sport.

Alli was selected for the 23-man England squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. England defeated Sweden 2–0 in the quarter-finals of the tournament on July 7th for the second time in 28 years. Alli scored his second goal of the game in a 2–0 win over Sweden in the second round of the tournament. Alli played for England in the semi-final match against Croatia, winning a free kick for whom England took the lead but then lost 2–1 after extra time.

He was left out of England's squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifier matches in October 2019.

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