The Everton midfielder, who spent last season on loan at Besiktas, opened up about checking into rehab when he returned from Turkey due to an addiction to sleeping tablets.
However, there was underlying trauma from the 27-year-old’s childhood and he opened up about a number of shocking and painful moments from his youth.
‘It’s something I haven’t spoken about that much but there’s a few incidents that can give you a brief understanding,’ Alli told Neville of his childhood on The Overlap.
‘At six I was molested by my mum’s friend who was at the house a lot. My mum was an alcoholic.
‘Then I 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 that they wouldn’t stop a kid on their bike so I’d ride around with my football and underneath I’d have the drugs.
‘At 11 I was hung off a bridge by a guy from the next estate. 12 I was adopted and from then…I was adopted by an amazing family, I couldn’t ask for better people to do what they done for me.’
Alli’s life turned around remarkably from when he was adopted to playing for MK Dons four years later and he credits his adopted parents for their incredible influence on him.
‘If God created people it was them, they were amazing and they’ve helped me a lot,’ he said. ‘When I started living with them it was hard for me to really open up to them.
‘I felt within myself it was easy for them to get rid of me, so I tried to be the best kid I could be for them.
‘I stayed with them from 12, started playing first team professionally at 16 and it took off from there.’
Alli is hoping that speaking out on what he has been through will help others and encourage people to take on change in their lives if they need to.
‘People don’t need to be scared of change,’ he said. ‘Change is always hard, when something’s uncomfortable and difficult you get scared, you get the fear, but when you have that feeling that’s the exact time you need to jump and go for it.
‘At the other side of fear and change it’s usually only positive things. Hopefully me talking about my experiences if helpful to them.’
MORE : Dele Alli opens up on spell in rehab and addiction to sleeping tablets
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