‘I was sexually abused at 6, sold drugs at 8’ — Dele Alli recounts childhood struggles

Dele Alli, the English footballer, has recounted how he was sexually abused when he was six years old.

The Everton midfielder spoke in an emotional interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap podcast.

The 27-year-old player said he was “molested” as a kid by a “friend” of his mother. He added that the man used to be “around the house a lot”.

Ali was born in Milton Keynes, UK, to a Nigerian father and English mother. Shortly after his birth, his parents split up, with his father returning to Nigeria.

The footballer said his mother developed alcohol problems, and the issue affected his upbringing.

Ali said he also “started dealing drugs” at the age of eight and was “hung off a bridge by a guy” when he was eleven.

“At six, I was molested by my mum’s friend who was at the house at lot; my mum was an alcoholic. I was sent to Africa to learn discipline, and then I was sent back. Seven, I started smoking; eight, I started dealing drugs,” he said.

“An older person told me that they would not stop a kid on a bike, so I rode around with my football, and then underneath, I would have the drugs. That was eight.

“Eleven, I was hung off a bridge by a guy from the next estate, a man.”

Ali said his life then took a positive turn when he was adopted by another family when he turned 12.

“Twelve, I was adopted – and from then, it was like – I was adopted by an amazing family. Like I said, I could not have asked for better people to do what they had done for me. If God created people, it was them,” he said. 

The two-time EPL young player of the year also revealed he was addicted to sleeping pills and came out of rehab last month as he struggled with his mental health.