Dele Alli's tell-all interview with Gary Neville featured a section on his birth parents, who he fell out of contact with after a troubled childhood.

By Dan Burnham (Sports Reporter)


Dele Alli has said he felt "betrayed" by his biological parents - who he no longer speaks to.

The former England international sat down for a candid interview with Gary Neville where he opened up on a number of moving topics, including childhood abuse and an addiction to sleeping tablets which he recently entered rehab for.

Dele also touched on his mum, 60-year-old Denise, and dad, 54-year-old Kehinde, who is a multi-millionaire businessman in Nigeria and a prince of the African nation's Yoruba tribe.

The pair split when he was young, leading to a tumultuous childhood which has had a major impact on his life ever since. Dele's mum, who was an alcoholic, gained custody of him.

He revealed he was molested by one of her friends at the age of six, and then became involved in dealing drugs aged eight before he moved to live with his dad in Lagos.

Reflecting on that period of his life, when he is said to have attended a private £20,000-a-year international school, Dele said on The Overlap: “My dad, my blood dad, lived in Africa.

"And then I got sent to him. I was meant to stay there for a year. It was horrible. I didn't want to be there at all. Nothing against, you know where I was, but just going from what I was living in, because we had no money - mum had no money.

“There was always like 10 guys, like just around, like just in the house. Yeah, like it was definitely like the drugs, but yeah, so there was that.

"And then it was just a big culture change, and I didn't want to be there, so I’d be a little bit naughtier and then after six months I got sent back.”

Dele ultimately ended up living with Alan and Sally Hickford, the parents of one of his team-mates in the MK Dons academy. He refers to them as his adoptive family, although that's never legally been the case.

“My adopted family did amazing things, because they would really piece things together," he continued. "There's a lot of things that I would question myself about because it went against my values and who I am as a person or what I want to do.

"And I'd question why I made them decisions, but they could link a lot of things. Like, for example, so I used to have like house parties, and I didn't care who was in the house whilst playing football.


"So, I'd have house parties and that was very much how my [biological] mum's house was without me knowing. It was my comfort zone – it was normal to me. So, just little things like that."


Denise and Kehinde gradually slipped out of Dele's life - so much so that he opted to wear 'Dele' on his back instead of his surname after signing for Tottenham in 2015.

They reunited to hold an interview with the Sunday Mirror after repeated attempts to see him - including standing outside Spurs' training ground and paying for a tour of White Hart Lane in the hopes of crossing paths - were unsuccessful.

Kehinde suggested his son was being manipulated for financial gain, saying: “I just do not understand what we have done wrong. He refuses to speak to me and it feels like he’s been taken from us. But I won’t give up on getting him back.”

Denise, meanwhile, added: “I’m a very miserable person because I get so sad that Dele is missing out on his family and we’re missing out on him.

“I want to be able to hug him and let him know we all love him to bits. I’m not interested in his money, I’d love him the same if he worked in McDonald’s. We just want our son back.”

Explaining why he froze them out of his life, Dele told Neville: “My dad went missing for a while, and he might come out now and say some stuff about me, but when I started playing for England, he came back and then I used to speak to my mum as well. Just to try and help her.

“I don’t speak to my mum anymore. So, when I was 18, my biological mum and dad went to the newspaper and like, started accusing the family that adopted me of doing all this stuff when they didn't know what they had, like they were the ones that used to make me go and see my mum.

Alli's biological parents made a public plea to see him again during his Tottenham days.

"I never wanted to go. They would always tell me, ‘She's your mum, like you should have a relationship with her’. And I think that spoke volumes, like what they were doing. They were just doing it generally because they're amazing people. So yeah.

“And then my mum – my blood mum and dad – went to the press saying that these people are taking advantage of me. They want to go through my contracts. And I hadn't spoken to him for years.

"I knew that wasn't my mum's decision because I know she didn't really leave Milton Keynes. Like there was no way she’d done that.

"So, yeah, after that I just felt so betrayed and let down. And hurt that I just couldn't keep the relationship with my mum. And my dad, I don't want a relationship with him either."

What's your view on Dele's behaviour towards his biological parents?

SOURCE: Daily star.co.uk/sport/football

Some parents are devils to their children. Dele Ali I stand with u

Hmm too bad...

Freshtruth:
Some parents are devils to their children. Dele Ali I stand with u

Smh. If you can't help pray for them just do well to be patient enough to hear all sides

We all criticized him for not playing for Nigeria. Definitely with his dislike for his father, he would never.

Very useless boy.

Freshtruth:
Some parents are devils to their children. Dele Ali I stand with u

Stand with him all u like, it won't stop him from being the loser he is.

That young man needs to go make peace with his parents for his own good.

Read this interview to see the really terrible thing that a mom did that will make her son ignore her cries and pleas in the training ground, I saw nothing.

Hehehe.

Enough of this blame game boy. You never complained when you were in form,but now that yours form dropped you suddenly remembered all the negative side of your growing up.

Look I don't support the actions of his parents,but if he still want to get back his life,he needs to forgive his parents and move on.
He must remember what motivated him in the past and stick to it. He is still young and bottling up hatred will further destroy him.

Train had and show the world that you are not yet finish. You have it in you bro.

layzie:



Stand with him all u like, it won't stop him from being the loser he is.

That young man needs to go make peace with his parents for his own good.

Read this interview to see the really terrible thing that a mom did that will make her son ignore her cries and pleas in the training ground, I saw nothing.

I was once in dele Ali shoes my own was even worse it is the reason am broke till today. Dele was even lucky he could pursue is dream career. Just be greatful u were not born to some heartless parents wey get money u go hate your life. The difference between me n davido is davido is stubborn y am a chronic ajebutter. I started hustling at the age of 30 when I received my ist salary of 15k I was just jumping up like a fool because of 15k . bro some kind of parents love is bundage and wickedness I wish my father was never wealthy the man hand no still come clean join

crossfm:
Hehehe.

Enough of this blame game boy. You never complained when you were in form,but now that yours form dropped you suddenly remembered all the negative side of your growing up.

Look I don't support the actions of his parents,but if he still want to get back his life,he needs to forgive his parents and move on.
He must remember what motivated him in the past and stick to it. He is still young and bottling up hatred will further destroy him.

Train had and show the world that you are not yet finish. You have it in you bro.

it Happen disappointment triggers anger

Lol, oga some will kill to have your father, for your mom side I don’t know, but ur father was paying £20000 for ur school fees do u even know how much it takes for him to be able to afford that, cause if he didn’t enrol u in that school u won’t meet ur roommate in the first place Na one ghetto boy u will just be cause as u said ur mom is broke, so ur dad paid for that expensive Sch give him his flowers for that

Old news.

It's been known since 2015/2016

Freshtruth:
I was once in dele Ali shoes my own was even worse it is the reason am broke till today. Dele was even lucky he could pursue is dream career. Just be greatful u were not born to some heartless parents wey get money u go hate your life. The difference between me n davido is davido is stubborn y am a chronic ajebutter. I started hustling at the age of 30 when I received my ist salary of 15k I was just jumping up like a fool because of 15k . bro some kind of parents love is bundage and wickedness I wish my father was never wealthy the man hand no still come clean join

Bro excuses like yours doesn't stop you from becoming what you want in life...
Davido used his as opportunity while you're using yours as excuse.
You know better anyway cos it's your life but don't give in to excuses. Jah bless

Thomasankara:
[/color]for how long,an adult still having a teenager's mentality,I think he has exhausted his healing bundle and now is the time for him to move on[color=#770077]

it easy to say cause u not in Ali shoes I was once there too I feel is pains I will always support him on his decisions his mother can cry a river.
When he was adopted wey was his mother? When he was suffering from depression wey was his father? Football save him if not he would have being the one begging the parents for forgiveness sometimes make we they think because they are parents does not mean they are always right.

I remember when your popsy been dey always try to see you for stadium after match to talk to you, you bullsh*t the poor old man,you been dey feel fly, ur head dey hot. Mourinho even advise you to up ur games and leave pride or u will leave to regret it Now he don clear for your eyes. Better go and prostrate before ur parent and ask for forgiveness carry Jesse lingard along if you love you Life.

NB: money can't buy some things 😞

otipoju:
Very useless boy.

Freshtruth:
I was once in dele Ali shoes my own was even worse it is the reason am broke till today. Dele was even lucky he could pursue is dream career. Just be greatful u were not born to some heartless parents wey get money u go hate your life. The difference between me n davido is davido is stubborn y am a chronic ajebutter. I started hustling at the age of 30 when I received my ist salary of 15k I was just jumping up like a fool because of 15k . bro some kind of parents love is bundage and wickedness I wish my father was never wealthy the man hand no still come clean join

Your father did nothing to u sir. U can't be 30 and still blaming ur parents. It sounds like Buhari blaming obasanjo for his failure in governance.
That said, the way u respond to ur circumstance is solely on u. Drunkard man gave birth to 2 sons. One grew up to be drunkard, the other grew up responsible never tasting a drink in his life. When asked separately about their lives, both attributed it to their father. Same circumstance, different responses.

fuckingAyaya:
I remember when your popsy been dey always try to see you for stadium after match to talk to you, you bullsh*t the poor old man,you been dey feel fly, ur head dey hot. Mourinho even advise you to up ur games and leave pride or u will leave to regret it Now he don clear for your eyes. Better go and prostrate before ur parent and ask for forgiveness carry Jesse lingard along if you love you Life.

NB: money can't buy some things 😞

Go and watch the interview before you judge the boy. He said he was sexually molested by his mother's friend, a man at age 6, started smoking at age 7, had his own key to the apartment and could go out and come in at whatsoever time he pleased at AGE 7, started selling drugs at age 8, had no parental guidance whatsoever because his mum was an alcoholic and couldn't deal. His father was in Nigeria and never lived with them. With that kind of upbringing how is he expected to bond with parents that were NEVER there emotionally or physically for him?