Dele Alli won two PFA Young Player awards before his career stalled
In each of his first two seasons at Tottenham, Dele Alli was voted PFA Young Player of the Year and named in the PFA Team of the Year. Spurs had bought him from MK Dons for an initial £5 million; within a decade he was a free agent after injuries and managerial fallouts.
Born on 11 April 1996 and raised in Milton Keynes, he joined MK Dons at 11 from City Colts and debuted at 16 in an FA Cup tie in November 2012, his first touch as a professional a back-heel. At 17 years and 11 months he struck a hat-trick at Notts County. In August 2014 he played the full game as the Dons thrashed Manchester United 4-0 in the League Cup, with scouts from Bayern Munich and Liverpool reportedly watching.
Tottenham signed him on 2 February 2015 and loaned him straight back; he left MK Dons with 24 goals in 88 games and a promotion to the Championship. His first Spurs season brought ten Premier League goals and a 25-yard volley at Crystal Palace that Garth Crooks called sheer class, though it ended early with a three-match ban for punching Claudio Yacob. He then switched his shirt name to Dele, saying he felt no connection to his surname, and scored eight goals in six league games to win Player of the Month for January 2017.
For England he went to Euro 2016 and helped the side reach the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. At club level his form dipped after 2018 and hamstring problems recurred; José Mourinho moved him back behind Harry Kane in 2019, insisting he was not a midfielder.
Injuries, poor form and disagreements with several managers led to a move to Everton in January 2022 and a loan at Beşiktaş later that year. After his Everton contract ran out in July 2024 he joined Como under Cesc Fàbregas, but his single appearance ended in a red card, and the deal was ended by mutual agreement in September 2025.
Source: Dele Alli
