The English soccer player Dele Alli had been a standout star in British football. He excelled at Tottenham and in the England National Team, but his career went downhill to the point where he left the Premier League to play for Besiktas in Turkey.
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This Thursday, in an interview with Manchester United legend Gary Neville, he revealed that he suffered sexual abuse when he was six years old and started dealing drugs shortly after.
The Everton player, who has represented his national team in 37 occasions, also confessed that he recently had to enter a rehabilitation clinic for nearly two months to overcome an addiction to sleeping pills.
Ali, who is currently 27 years old, didn't have any problems admitting that his tragic past has been affecting his current career as a professional footballer.
The former teammate of Harry Kane admitted that he nearly hung up his boots at the age of 24, which surprised the interviewer, considering that he was once considered one of the rising stars of the Premier League.
"To be honest, my childhood is something I haven't talked about much. My mother was an alcoholic. I was sent to Africa (with my father) to learn discipline, and then I was sent back. At the age of seven, I started smoking, at eight I was dealing drugs," Alli commented.