Tottenham's rising star: Dele Alli

He is the figure of Tottenham and his name has started to be heard more than ever after his great performance this Wednesday against Real Madrid in the 4th match of the Champions League. We're talking about Dele Alli, a 21-year-old offensive midfielder whose story is worth being told.

Dele Alli's Difficult Childhood

His childhood was quite tough and his parents had many problems. Dele's father, Kehinde, abandoned him a week after he was born in London. Eight years later, he took him to Nigeria because he was a prince of a tribe there. According to the newspaper "Sport", he was even a millionaire in that African country.

The problems continued in Dele Alli's life, who at the age of 11 moved to Houston and two years later his father left him in London with his mother in charge. It was the second time he was abandoned. Denise had three other children from different fathers and was relying on alcohol. Fights and arguments were constant. There is no doubt that Alli had a hard time.

Since things were not going well at home, Tottenham's prodigy didn't stop there. He spent more time with his friends from the neighborhood, and many of them were not exactly good company. That's why, at the age of 13, the Englishman was put up for adoption by the Hickford family. With them, Dele Alli's life changed for the better.

"Sport" claims that since joining Tottenham, Dele Alli hasn't heard anything from his biological parents. He refuses to talk to them. "He had a tough childhood. The formative years turned him into a boy who always played without fear," said Mike Dove, who coached Dele Alli in the youth categories of Milton Keynes Dons.