Ex-Tottenham Hotspur star Dele Alli has revealed his battle with addiction and has admitted to having recently been in rehab.
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In an emotional sit-down interview with former Manchester United right-back and captain Gary Neville, the 27-year-old addressed the battles he has faced in his personal life since he was a child.
The midfielder was considered among the best midfielders in England after winning two consecutive PFA Young Player of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017, form that earned him 37 appearances for the Three Lions between 2015 and 2019.
Alli revealed his mental health struggles led to an overreliance on sleeping pills, and that he recently did six weeks in rehab in the United States for addiction and trauma stemming from his childhood, during which he was molested by a friend of his biological mother's.
"Like one morning I woke up. I had to go to training, this is when he'd (Mourinho) stopped playing me," he told The Overlap.
"I remember just looking in the mirror. I mean it sounds dramatic, but I was literally just staring in the mirror and I was asking if I could retire now at 24? You know, doing the thing I love. For me that was heartbreaking.
"It's always been me against myself in everything. I was winning the fight, smiling, showing that I was happy, but inside I was definitely losing the battle.
"Trauma is trauma and your body registers it in the same way no matter what it is. If you knew about my life you would understand that a bit more.
"I want to help other people to know they're not alone in the feelings they've got and it doesn't make you weak to get help."
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Alli, who says he is in a good place since getting help, is still on Everton's books following his loan stint in Turkey and has said he has help positive conversations with Sean Dyche ahead of the 2023/24 season.
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