Born and raised inMilton Keynes, he joined the youth system atMilton Keynes Dons aged 11 and broke into the first team five years later, during the2012–13 season. Over the next two and a half years, he made 88 official appearances for the team, scoring 24 goals. He signed forTottenham Hotspur in February 2015 for an initial fee of £5 million, being loaned back to MK Dons for the remainder of the season. In each of his first two campaigns at Tottenham, Dele was voted thePFA Young Player of the Year and made thePFA Team of the Year. Towards the end of his time at Tottenham, Dele struggled with poor form, injury problems and fallouts with multiple managers. This led him to joinEverton in January 2022 and later that year he would joinBeşiktaş on loan. Dele left Everton after his contract with Everton expired in July 2024, but continued to work on his fitness at the club's facilities. He joinedSerie A clubComo, making one substitute appearance underCesc Fàbregas before being released in September 2025.[5]
Dele played for the EnglandU17,U18 andU19 teams, before making his senior debut in 2015. He was selected forUEFA Euro 2016 and the2018 FIFA World Cup, playing a key role in helping England reach the semi-finals.
Club career
Milton Keynes Dons
Early career
Dele joined the youth system atMilton Keynes Dons when he was 11 years old after playing for City Colts.[6] He made his debut for the first team as a sixteen-year-old on 2 November 2012, coming on as a 64th-minute substitute forJay O'Shea in a 0–0 draw withSouthern Football League clubCambridge City in theFA Cup first round at Milton Road.[7] His first touch in professional football was a back-heeled pass.[6] His first goal came in the replay against Cambridge eleven days later, where he scored in a 6–1 win atStadium MK on his first start.[8] He made his league debut in a 2–3 defeat toCoventry City at home on 29 December, where he played 71 minutes before being replaced byZeli Ismail.[9] His only other league appearance in the2012–13 Football League One season, came as a second-half substitute forPatrick Bamford in the last match of the season, a 2–0 win overStevenage atBroadhall Way.[10]
2013–14 season
The 2013–14 season saw Dele break into the MK Dons first team on a regular basis. He started the Dons' first league match of the season, a 0–0 draw away atShrewsbury Town.[11] In his firstFootball League Trophy appearance, Dele scored to help MK Dons beatNorthampton Town 2–0 and thus progress to the second round of the tournament.[12] On 28 September, Dele scored his first professional league goal in a 4–1 win against Stevenage.[13] After injury setbacks in late 2013, Dele subsequently established himself as a first-choice player in 2014. He scored the opening goal in the 3–2 win over Shrewsbury Town at Stadium MK on 11 January, with a header fromStephen Gleeson's pinpoint pass.[14]
On 11 March 2014, againstNotts County atMeadow Lane, aged 17 years and 11 months old, he scored a hat-trick to guide the Dons to a 3–1 victory.[15] His next and final goal of the 2013–14 season, came on 5 April against Coventry City at theSixfields Stadium; Dele struck a volley from 25 yards out as MK Dons defeated Coventry 2–1.[16] He made 37 appearances in all competitions during the 2013–14 season, scoring seven times, with 33 appearances and six goals in the league.
With the departure of Gleeson toBirmingham City in June 2014,[17] Dele became the first-choice central midfield partner toDarren Potter. He started the season brightly, playing the first league match of the season as the Dons overcame a 2–0 deficit to defeat Gillingham, 4–2.[18] He then helped the team to a 3–1 win over arch-enemies,AFC Wimbledon, in the League Cup first round.[19] His first goal of the 2014–15 season came in the first away league match, a 3–2 defeat toPeterborough United, where he scored a tap-in fromWill Grigg's deflected shot.[20]
On 26 August, Dele played the full 90 minutes in theLeague Cup second round as MK Dons recorded a historic 4–0 win overManchester United.[21] It was reported that numerous scouts from top clubs across Europe attended the match to watch him play, including representatives fromBayern Munich andLiverpool.[6][22] In the next match, Dele continued his rich vein of form with a goal curled in from the edge of the box in a 2–0 win overCrawley Town.[23] After the international break, he played 77 minutes in the 5–3 win against Barnsley, assisting the Dons second goal and scoring their third goal himself with a chip over the Barnsley goalkeeper.[24] He was chosen as theFootball League Young Player of the Month for August.[6]
On 18 September, Dele extended his contract with MK Dons until June 2017.[25] Two days later, in a match againstCrewe Alexandra, he scored a hat-trick and achieved one assist in what turned out to be a 6–1 victory for the Dons. It was the second hat-trick of his career and the first he achieved at home, which also led to him winning the Man of the Match award.[26]
Tottenham Hotspur
On 2 February 2015, Dele signed forPremier League clubTottenham Hotspur in the last hours of the mid-season transfer window on a five-and-a-half-year deal for an initial fee of £5 million.[27]
Loan to Milton Keynes Dons
Following his transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, Dele was immediately loaned back to MK Dons for the remainder of the 2014–15 season.[27] On 19 April, he was chosen as the Young Player of the Year at theFootball League Awards.[28] The season ended on 3 May with Milton Keynes Dons promoted automatically to theChampionship as runners-up behindBristol City, after a 5–1 home win over relegatedYeovil Town.[29]
On 8 August 2015, Dele made his Tottenham debut against Manchester United in the Premier League as a substitute in a 1–0 defeat away atOld Trafford, playing the last 13 minutes in place ofEric Dier.[30] Two weeks later, he scored his first goal for the club after coming on forChristian Eriksen in the 1–1 draw againstLeicester City.[31]
On 13 September, Dele made his first start for Tottenham in a 1–0 win againstSunderland at theStadium of Light.[32] On 2 November, he started and scored the second goal in an eventual 3–1 win overAston Villa.[33] Six days later he started his firstNorth London Derby alongside fellow England youngster Dier in central midfield, and was awarded Man of the Match in the 1–1 draw between rivals Arsenal and Tottenham.[34] On 5 December 2015, he scored his third goal for Tottenham in the 2015–16 campaign in a 1–1 draw againstWest Bromwich Albion atThe Hawthorns.[35]
Following an impressive start to his Premier League career scoring five goals and making three assists in his first 18 league matches, he was rewarded with a new long-term contract until 2021 on 12 January.[36] Eleven days later he scored a 25-yard volley in a 3–1 win atCrystal Palace;BBC Sport pundit and former Spurs playerGarth Crooks wrote "I've seen some glorious goals scored in my time watching football matches but I doubt whether I will see a goal scored with such individual flair, and by a 19-year-old, as Dele Alli's goal atSelhurst Park – it was sheer class".[37] On 13 April, he was named on the six-man shortlist for 2015–16'sPFA Young Player of the Year.[38]
On 18 April 2016, he scored his first brace for Tottenham in a 0–4 away win atStoke City,[39] reaching ten goals in his debut Premier League season.[40] He was voted the season's PFA Young Player of the Year on 24 April.[41] On 28 April, Dele was banned by the Football Association for three matches, effectively ending his Premier League season, for an off-the-ball incident against West Bromwich Albion in which he punched midfielderClaudio Yacob in the stomach. He later apologised for the incident on Twitter, stating, "Gutted that my season is over. Shouldn't have reacted like I did. Will learn from this and come back stronger."[42]
2016–17 season
Dele playing for Tottenham Hotspur in 2017
Ahead of the season, he changed his kit name to Dele, saying that he had "no connection" to his legal surname due to his separation from his mother and lack of relations with his father.[43] His first goal of the season came in a 4–0 win against Stoke City on 10 September 2016.[44] Four days later, he made hisUEFA Champions League debut in a 1–2 loss toAS Monaco atWembley Stadium.[45] His first Champions League goal came againstCSKA Moscow at the same stadium on 7 December 2016.[46] Between 18 December 2016 and 21 January 2017, Dele scored eight goals in six league matches, earning the award ofPremier League Player of the Month award for January 2017. This included three consecutive braces againstSouthampton,Watford andChelsea.[47]
On 23 February, Dele received his first red card for a dangerous tackle onBrecht Dejaegere in Tottenham'sUEFA Europa League draw withK.A.A. Gent which saw Spurs eliminated at theRound of 32 stage of the competition.[48] On 20 April 2017, Dele was again named in thePFA Team of the Year,[49] having been included in the League One selection for 2015[50] and the Premier League selection in 2016.[51] On 23 April, he was named the PFA Young Player of the Year,[52] the day after scoring in Tottenham's 4–2FA Cup semi-final loss to rivals Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.[53]
2017–18 season
Dele scored his first goal of the season in the opening game of the2017–18 season away at Newcastle that finished in a 2–0 win.[54] However, he was criticized for his inconsistency this season, failing to perform as well as the previous season.[55][56] On 1 April 2018, Dele scored twice in the away fixture against Chelsea, helping Tottenham win 3–1, which was their first win in 28 years atStamford Bridge.[57]
2018–19 season
On 11 August 2018, Dele scored his first goal of theseason, scoring the winning goal in the opening league match againstNewcastle United.[58]
On 26 September, Dele was named ascaptain for Tottenham'sEFL Cup third round tie withWatford. The tie, played atStadium MK due to delays in the completion of Tottenham'snew stadium, marked Dele's return to the home ground of his boyhood clubMilton Keynes Dons, and the return to his home town ofMilton Keynes for the first time as a Tottenham player. The tie finished 2–2, with Dele scoring both apenalty in normal time and the winning penalty in a decidingpenalty shoot-out.[59]
In October 2018, Dele signed a new six-year deal at Tottenham, which would keep him at the club until 2024.[60] He also scored in the 3–1 home win against Chelsea, which was his sixth goal in five games against Chelsea, and the first defeat for Chelsea in the Premier League this season.[61] In January 2019, he was ruled out until March with a hamstring injury.[62]
2019–20 season
Dele missed the start of the season due to a hamstring injury.[63] He returned to the team in the North London Derby on 1 September 2019, coming on as a substitute.[64] He scored his first goal of the season in the match against Watford, drawing 1–1.[65] In November 2019,Mauricio Pochettino was dismissed by the club to be replaced byJosé Mourinho. Mourinho played Dele as an attacking player just behindHarry Kane, reverting to his earlier position after playing in a deeper midfield role the previous two years. According to Mourinho, "Dele is not a midfield player".[66][67] The attacking role gave Dele greater freedom to score, and he scored three goals in his first three games under Mourinho, two of which came in the game againstBournemouth.[68]
In February 2020, Dele posted a video on his Snapchat account in which he appeared to mock an Asian man while joking about theCOVID-19 outbreak.[69] The video showed Dele wearing a face mask atHeathrow Airport while waiting for his flight toDubai, before the camera moved to show a man of Asian appearance before zooming in on a bottle of antiseptic handwash, seemingly suggesting the Asian man in the terminal could be infected with the virus. The video was captioned: "The virus gunna have to be faster than that to catch me."[70] In June 2020, Dele was found guilty of an "aggravated breach" of the FA rule that includes a reference to race, colour, ethnic origin and/or nationality, and was judged to have used an "unacceptable racist stereotype" by the regulatory commission.[71] Dele was suspended in June 2020 for one match by the Football Association, making him ineligible for Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League game at home against Manchester United on 19 June. He was also fined £50,000 and ordered to undertake an education course.[69]
2020–21 season
In the first half of2020–21 season, Dele was reportedly out of favour with Mourinho, making few starts in games.[72][73][74] Most of his starts in games were in theUEFA Europa League, and he scored his first goal of the season in theEuropa League play-off match againstMaccabi Haifa on 1 October 2020 to cap a 7–2 win for Tottenham.[75] In theEuropa last-32 match againstWolfsberg on 24 February 2021, he scored a notable goal with abicycle kick, starting a 4–0 rout with two further assists.[76][77] He made his first start in six months in the Premier League on 4 March, in the match againstFulham that ended in a 1–0 win when his shot at goal was deflected off a defender for an own-goal.[78] He started seven Premier League games this season.[79]
2021–22 season
On 22 August 2021, Dele scored his first goal of the season, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win againstWolverhampton Wanderers. This was Dele's first Premier League goal since March 2020.[80] He continued to struggle to regain his form. ManagerNuno Espírito Santo tried to bring him back into the squad,[81] which proved short-lived as Nuno was replaced byAntonio Conte in early November. Dele failed to find a role under the new manager,[82] and became a fringe player in Conte's plan for Tottenham.[83] After starting only eight league games (two under Conte) in the 2021–22 campaign, Dele was made available for transfer by Tottenham in the January 2022 window.[79]
Everton
Dele moved to fellow Premier League sideEverton on 31 January 2022 on an initialfree transfer,[84] which could have risen to £40 million if certain performance benchmarks were met. The first £10 million would be due after 20 appearances for Everton.[85] He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract, running until the end of the 2023–24 season. Upon signing for the club, Dele cited the opportunity to work under new managerFrank Lampard as a major reason for joining Everton.[86] He made his debut on 8 February as a late substitute in a 3–1 loss againstNewcastle United.[87] Despite a notable cameo in Everton's 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace[88][89] he failed to make an impact at Everton. In the 2021-22 season, he only made 11 appearances with only one start. In the next season Dele played in just two matches, ending his Everton stint with 13 matches and zero goal contributions.[90]
Loan to Beşiktaş
On 25 August 2022, Dele joined Turkish teamBeşiktaş on loan for the remainder of the 2022–23 season with an option to buy for the Turkish club.[91] He scored his first goal in over a year in his second appearance for the club, helping the club win 3–2 againstAnkaragücü on 4 September 2022.[92][93] WhenŞenol Güneş took over as the new head coach on 28 October, he stated that Dele was "below expectations in terms of efficiency," pointing to his struggles for Beşiktaş.[94] Dele did not play any games for Beşiktaş after 26 February 2023, having scored 2 goals in 13 games for the club until then. In April he returned to Everton for an assessment of a hip injury he picked up, while Beşiktaş sought to cancel his season-long loan.[95][96]
Return to Everton from loan
Having sustained a groin injury in the later months of 2023, he did not make a single appearance for Everton in the 23-24 season.[97][98] Although Dele's contract with Everton expired at the end of June 2024, he continued to train at the club and complete his rehabilitation work with the club's medical staff.[99]
Como
On 19 January 2025, Dele joined ItalianSerie A clubComo on a free transfer on an 18-month deal until the end of the 2025–26 season.[100]
While Como managerCesc Fàbregas told reporters on 19 February that Dele may not make his debut for the club until later in the season or even not until the 2025–26 season, saying "He's working off the pitch at the moment. I don't want to put extra pressure on him, he hasn't played for months...We need patience to see him back on the pitch: please, let's stay calm. The last few months will be used to get back in shape for next season",[101] Dele was included in his first matchday squad for Como as an unused substitute for a 2–1 Serie A loss toAS Roma on 2 March.[102]
On 15 March 2025, Dele made his debut for Como againstAC Milan in the league, marking his first match since February 2023. However, his return to the pitch was brief, as he came on as a substitute forLucas Da Cunha in the 81st minute, and wassent off ten minutes later for a clumsy challenge on fellow EnglishmanRuben Loftus-Cheek after aVAR check upgraded his initial yellow card.[103] In August 2025, it was reported that Dele was looking for a new club after being told he was not wanted for the upcoming season.[104] He was released in September 2025, after just one appearance for the Italian side.[105] Despite rumors of interest from clubs inLa Liga and theEFL Championship, Dele remains a free agent.[106][107]
International career
Dele made several appearances at U17 and U18 levels for England.[108] On 27 August 2014, Dele was called up to the England U19 squad following an impressive start to the campaign.[109] He made his debut for England U19 in the 1–1 draw against Germany U19. In the match, Dele assisted the opening goal feeding a through ball toBradley Fewster who gave England a 1–0 lead.[110]
On 17 November 2015, Dele made his first start for the England senior team, scoring the opening goal from a long range shot to beat Spurs teammate, goalkeeperHugo Lloris in a 2–0 win againstFrance at Wembley Stadium.[114] He was again named in the starting line-up for England's friendly match against world championsGermany on 26 March 2016. Dele was named man of the match by the BBC Sport as England recovered from 0–2 down to win 3–2 at the BerlinOlympiastadion.[115]
In October 2019, he was left out of the England squad for the forthcomingEuro 2020 qualifying matches.[119]
Player profile
Style of play
Early in his career, Dele was widely considered one of the best youngmidfielders of his generation,[120][121][122] and won PFA Young Player of the Year two years running.[123] He was praised for his all-round skillset and his goalscoring prowess, particularly when playing as asecond striker.[124] Dele's manager at the time,Mauricio Pochettino, said in 2017: "In the box, he looks like a striker, and outside the box, he plays like a midfielder."Rafael van der Vaart said that Dele is "fast, fluid and has a great skill set",[125] while future Everton managerFrank Lampard praised Dele's intelligence in his ability "to get into the box without being marked".[126] He has, however, been widely accused of diving, and has received bookings for simulation.[127][128][129][130][131]
Decline
In 2018, Dele was considered the world's most expensive midfielder from a transfer value perspective by theCIES;[132] his form faded, however, in subsequent seasons, resulting in him losing his place in the England team in 2019 and becoming a fringe player for Spurs in the following years.[133] In 2022, after Dele was loaned to Beşiktaş from Everton,Phil McNulty described his career trajectory as a "dramatic decline... from the golden boy of English football to lost talent".[134]José Mourinho claimed that despite being immensely talented, he was 'fucking lazy' and lacked determination.[135] Many have blamed Dele's lack of work ethic, desire to improve and dedication for his decline; although certain personal issues may have also played a part.
Personal life
Dele was born in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire,[136] to aYoruba Nigerian father, Kehinde,[137] and an English mother, Denise. Kehinde moved to the United States a week after Dele's birth.[138] He was initially brought up by his mother, who suffered from alcohol problems.[138][139] At the age of nine, he moved to Nigeria with his father, where he spent two years in aninternational school, before returning to Milton Keynes to live with his mother.[140] Dele went toStantonbury Campus[141] andThe Radcliffe School inWolverton.[142]
At the age of 13, he moved into the family home of Alan and Sally Hickford, parents of another footballer from MK Dons's youth system and whom he refers to as his "adoptive parents", although he was never legally adopted by them.[138][143] In the summer of 2016, Alli announced that he would stop having his surname on match shirts, instead opting for "Dele", since he felt no connection with his biological father's family.[43][144]
Dele was a Liverpool fan growing up withSteven Gerrard his childhood idol,[6] seeing Gerrard andFrank Lampard as good role models for their professionalism.[141] He is also a fan ofBritish hip hop music, which led to the rapperCadet releasing a single, "Advice", that references the footballer.[145]
On 13 May 2020, Dele was held at knifepoint during a burglary by two men who broke into his house in north London. He was punched and suffered minor facial injuries. The burglars stole various pieces of jewelry, including watches.[146]
In May 2021, he was spotted kissingPep Guardiola's daughter Maria in Manchester.[147] Dele has been in a relationship withmodelCindy Kimberly publicly since June 2022.[148]
In July 2023, during an interview forGary Neville's podcastThe Overlap, Dele revealed that he had beensexually abused at the age of six, and had starteddealing drugs at the age of eight. He also opened up about having spent a six-week spell inrehab following the end of his loan atBeşiktaş, because of an addiction tosleeping pills andmental health issues.[139][144]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 15 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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