Alli says he was sexually abused as a child

Author: BBC Sport

Warning: Contains distressing details of sexual abuse and child cruelty.

Everton midfielder Dele Alli says he was sexually abused when he was six years old.

In an emotional interview with former England footballer Gary Neville, Alli revealed the abused he suffered as a child before he was adopted aged 12.

He said he was “molested” aged six, started smoking aged seven and was dealing drugs at eight years old.

Alli, 27, recently spent six weeks in rehab because of a sleeping pill addiction and mental health issues.

One of football’s brightest young talents, Alli was part of the England squad that reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and helped Tottenham reach the Champions League final in 2019.

However, his form dipped and he left Spurs to join Everton in February 2022 before going on a loan spell to Turkish side Besiktas last season.

Alli, who earned the last of his 37 England caps in 2019, returned to Everton at the end of last season because of injury.

“When I came back from Turkey, I found out I needed an operation and I was in a bad place mentally,” he told The Overlap.

“I decided to go to a modern day rehab facility for mental health. They deal with addiction, mental health and trauma.

“I felt like it was time for me. With things like that, you can’t be told to go there. You have to know and make the decision yourself or it’s not going to work. I was caught in a bad cycle. I was relying on things that were doing me harm.”

More to follow.