Dele Alli has revealed he checked himself into a rehabilitation facility after becoming addicted to sleeping tablets.
In an interview with former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville, Alli said he took the decision to confront his addiction after returning to England after injury cut short his loan spell at Turkish club Besiktas last season.
"It's tough to talk about because it's something I've hid for a long time," Everton midfielder Alli, 27, said in a candid and troubling appearance on The Overlap.
"I'm scared to talk about it.
"When I came back from Turkey I found out I needed an operation I was in a bad place mentally and I decided to go to a modern day rehab facility for mental health.
"They deal with addiction and trauma. I felt it was time for me.
"You can't be told to go there – you have to know and make the decision yourself or it's not going to work.
"I was caught in a bad cycle and things that were doing me harm."
Alli was heralded as a generational talent during his early days at Tottenham Hotspur, playing a star role as the club emerged as top-four contenders and reached a first Champions League final in 2019.
The previous summer, Alli was an integral part of the England team that reached the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and was tipped to go on to win major honours in club and international football.
But a downturn in form following Mauricio Pochettino's sacking at Tottenham in November 2019 saw Alli marginalised under Jose Mourinho, who called him "lazy" during an Amazon documentary titled All Or Nothing.
Alli joined Everton in an initial loan deal in January 2022 but made only 13 appearances for the Blues, mostly off the bench, before switching to Besiktas on a season-long loan at the start of last season in a bid to rediscover his best form.
After a bright start that saw him score on his second club appearance, Alli's form tailed off and he returned to Everton in April.
It is now clear that Alli's struggles went beyond the physical and he said the support he has received from Everton has been "amazing".
"I will be grateful to them forever," Alli added. "For them to be so honest and understanding I couldn't ask for anything more during a time I was making the biggest decision of my life – doing something I was scared to do. I'm happy I've done it."
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England’s defender Eric Dier (L), England’s striker Harry Kane (C), and England’s defender Kyle Walker take part in a team training session at St George’s Park in Burton-on-Trent, central England on March 22, 2016. England play world champions Germany in Berlin on March 26, before taking on the Netherlands at Wembley on March 29, as they step up preparations for Euro 2016. AFP / PAUL ELLIS -
England’s defender Eric Dier (L) and England’s defender Kyle Walker take part in a team training session at St George’s Park in Burton-on-Trent, central England on March 22, 2016. England play world champions Germany in Berlin on March 26, before taking on the Netherlands at Wembley on March 29, as they step up preparations for Euro 2016. AFP / PAUL ELLIS -
England’s Dele Alli, Nathaniel Clyne, Adam Lallana, Kyle Walker and Chris Smalling during training, Action Images via Reuters / Carl Recine -
England’s Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson during training. Action Images via Reuters / Carl Recine -
England manager Roy Hodgson with Chris Smalling and Dele Alli during training. Action Images via Reuters / Carl Recine -
England’s Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana during training. Action Images via Reuters / Carl Recine -
England stiker Jamie Vardy takes part in a team training session at St George’s Park in Burton-on-Trent, central England on March 22, 2016. England play world champions Germany in Berlin on March 26, before taking on the Netherlands at Wembley on March 29, as they step up preparations for Euro 2016. AFP / PAUL ELLIS -
England manager Roy Hodgson watches Danny Rose and Danny Drinkwater during training. Action Images via Reuters / Carl Recine -
England goalkeeper Tom Heaton catches the ball during a team training session at St George’s Park in Burton-on-Trent, central England on March 22, 2016. England play world champions Germany in Berlin on March 26, before taking on the Netherlands at Wembley on March 29, as they step up preparations for Euro 2016. AFP / PAUL ELLIS -
England’s goalkeeper Fraser Forster participates during a team training session at St George’s Park in Burton-on-Trent, central England on March 22, 2016. England play world champions Germany in Berlin on March 26, before taking on the Netherlands at Wembley on March 29, as they step up preparations for Euro 2016. AFP / PAUL ELLIS -
Members of the England team take part in a team training session at St George’s Park in Burton-on-Trent, central England on March 22, 2016. England play world champions Germany in Berlin on March 26, before taking on the Netherlands at Wembley on March 29, as they step up preparations for Euro 2016. AFP / PAUL ELLIS
Alli burst on to the scene as a precocious teenager in 2015, joining Spurs for a fee of £5 million from MK Dons.
His eye for goal and ability to play a variety of positions saw him hailed as one of the finest midfielders in Europe and, along with the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, made Tottenham one of the most attacking and entertaining teams to watch.
The North London club missed out on the Premier League title to unfancied Leicester City in 2016, finishing third. The following season saw them finish second, seven points behind Chelsea before another third-place finish in 2018.
Alli was an integral part of Spurs' rise as a Premier League and Champions League force, but his fall over the past few years has been as meteoric as his rise and he told Neville that his problems off the field had him seriously contemplating retirement.
"One morning I woke up and I had to go training. I remember staring in the mirror and I was asking if I could retire now. At 24. Doing the thing I love," said Alli, who has 37 England caps but none since 2019.
"For me that was heartbreaking."
He added: "It's always been me against myself in everything.
"I was winning the fight, showing I was happy. But inside, I was losing the battle."
Alli shared harrowing details of his traumatic childhood, including an incident that saw him molested by a friend of his biological mother.
"[My childhood is] something I haven't really spoken about that much, to be honest. I mean, I think there were a few incidents that could give you kind of a brief understanding," a clearly emotional Alli told Neville.
"So, at six, I was molested by my mum's friend, who was at the house a lot. My mum was an alcoholic, and that happened at six. I was sent to Africa to learn discipline, and then I was sent back.
"At seven, I started smoking, eight I started dealing drugs. An older person told me that they wouldn't stop a kid on a bike, so I rode around with my football, and then underneath I'd have the drugs, that was eight. Eleven, I was hung off a bridge by a guy from the next estate, a man.
"Twelve, I was adopted – and from then, it was like – I was adopted by an amazing family like I said, I couldn't have asked for better people to do what they'd done for me. If God created people, it was them.
"They were amazing, and they've helped me a lot, and that was another thing, you know – when I started living with them, it was hard for me to really open up to them, because I felt within myself, it was easy to get rid of me again. I tried to be the best kid I could be for them. I stayed with them from 12, and then started playing first-team, professionally, at 16. It all sort of took off from there."
Alli was one of the first Everton players to report back for pre-season training, but it remains to be seen whether manager Sean Dyche sees him as part of his long-term plans.
Everton narrowly avoided relegation last term, needing a win on the final day of the season against Bournemouth to ensure their place in the Premier League in 2023/24.
Alli has a contract at Everton until June 2024.
