Dele Alli speaks to Gary Neville on his struggles, addiction, trauma, rehab and mental health

Dele Alli speaks to Gary Neville on his struggles, addiction, trauma, rehab and mental health as he opens up in a tell all interview.

A powerful episode of The Overlap emerged on Thursday (13 July), and it sees Gary Neville sitting down to have a heartfelt conversation with Dele Alli, going through where it went through before the player speaks about his recent circumstances on and off the pitch and the profound challenges he endured throughout his childhood and long-lasting effects of trauma it has caused him.

In an emotional watch, Dele opened up about his recent battle with addiction in the 43 minute video, also speaking about his remarkable journey of rehabilitation as well his unwavering aspiration to inspire those facing similar circumstances to speak up.

Dele now looks to inspire others to seek the help they need going forward…

Speaking to Neville, Alli says: Now it probably the right time to tell people. It’s something I’ve hidden for a long time and I’m scared to talk about it but it’s the right thing to do.

“When I came back from Turkey and found out I needed an operation, I was in a bad place mentally. I decided to go to a modern-day rehab facility for mental health because I felt like it was time for me.

“I was caught in a bad cycle. I was relying on things that were doing me hard, waking up every day winning the right going into training, smiling and showing I was happy but inside I was losing it.

“When they told me I needed surgery, I could feel the feelings I had when the cycle begins and I didn’t want it to happen again. I went there for six weeks, Everton were amazing about it, they supported me 100% and I’ll be grateful to them forever. Whatever happens in the future, for them to be so open and honest and understanding, I couldn’t have asked for anything anymore at that time when I was making the biggest decision of my life.

“I’m happy I did it and couldn’t have expected it to go the way it did. It’s something that people don’t want to do, going into rehab sounds scary but I couldn’t have imagined how much I’d get from it and help me mentally because I was in a bad place. A lot happened when I was young I couldn’t understand and I was doing stupid things I blamed myself for but going there and learning about it, it was never in my control and it’s helped me with a lot of things to do with my blood family. I’ve let go of a lot of things that were holding me back.”

Alli goes on to say he’s previously considered retiring at the age of 24.   

‘One morning I woke up and I had to go training,’ he added. 

‘I remember staring in the mirror and I was asking if I could retire now. At 24. Doing the thing I love.

‘For me that was heartbreaking.

‘It’s always been me against myself in everything. I was winning the fight, showing I was happy. But inside, I was losing the battle.’

Prior to uploading the full interview, Gary Neville issued a a tweet that called the conversation ‘the most emotional, difficult yet inspirational conversation I’ve ever had in my life.’

In the interview, Alli shares deeply personal details about his life and career, as well as discussing his traumatic childhood, and his relationship with his biological family.

Samaritans – https://www.samaritans.org/
NSPCC – https://www.nspcc.org.uk/
FRANK – https://www.talktofrank.com/
Mind – https://www.mind.org.uk/

00:00 – 02:19 What happened to Dele?
02:19 – 05:55 Mental health & rehab
05:55 – 07:05 Timeline & influence of tabloid media
07:05 – 10:27 The start of addiction & not being able to open up
10:27 – 13:32 Sleeping tablets in Football and Dele’s experience
13:32 – 17:06 Mourinho & the start of career difficulty
17:33 – 19:15 Upbringing & childhood trauma
19:15 – 20:43 Adoption and teenage life
20:43 – 23:48 Relationship with birth parents
23:55 – 25:40 How rehab in USA has helped Dele
25:40 – 26:46 Having passion back for football & inspiring others
26:46 – 29:20 Poch & life at Spurs
29:20 – 31:39 The truth about being called “lazy” by Mourinho
31:39 – 33:46 Relationship with Kane and Dier
34:05 – 35:21 Becoming a better player and person
35:21 – 39:17 Moving forward & the media’s perception
39:17 – 42:05 Everton & getting back on the pitch
42:05 – 43:25 Conclusion & advice for others

Here’s what fans had to say as Dele Alli speaks to Gary Neville on his struggles, addiction, trauma, rehab and mental health…

@ryantegan: Love that Dele had been given a platform to open up and speak about his battles. Good on you @GNev2 💙 Keep fighting and stay strong @dele_official 💙 The Spurs family will always be behind you

@jonloveridge83: Very good to see Dele in a much better place. Very few people could understand how chaotic that childhood would have been like. Good on him for being so open and being proactive at helping himself through it

@melharvey72: Feel a bit conflicted that this is sponsored by a betting company when a young man is speaking about mental health issue. BUT apart from that it looks fascinating and brave and I hope it helps Dele who is clearly a massive talent but has serious health problems.

@Coovsey: Wow! Thank you for sharing and hopefully giving people a new outlook on him and people’s histories that we don’t always understand when we race to slate a player or their actions and decisions.

@JaiP72: Dele you will always be Spurs. Unbelievably open here. Can’t believe your early life. Hope you’re on the road to recovery and get the right people around you to help you through the bad times.

@tenhag72: It’s amazing how we all from the outside say he has the world at his feet etc but nobody knows what’s going on inside, good luck young man , I hope you find yourself happiness again

@tubby_toffee: Wow just wow. What an incredible man Dele is. That was a tough but necessary watch. As an Evertonian i am and I am sure we are all behind you. Keep well and let’s see you smash it on the pitch. You’re part of our family and we will look after you!

@CallumWhitee_: When dele was at spurs, I hated him as a person (partly because he was so good) so to see him like this is just sad and heartbreaking. No one should have to go through these feelings alone. I hope he can find himself again soon

@Jpt1810: I can only wish him all the best going forward. Life throws challenges at everyone, and Dele is no different. The fact he’s found that expressing his difficulties is helping is wonderful. He went from a boy to a man in the blink of an eye. The pressure behind that must be intense

@sonicmul: Explains a lot. How he could go from a potential world class talent to where he is now. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that player’s under Mourinho go from huge futures to nothing overnight. Alli, casillas, zaniolo, to name a few. There’s always a sacrificial lamb

@MegaBrickz: This is the type of thing we rarely get to see from footballers. I hope somehow he can start to enjoy football again and just have a decent career

@EMPMonkz: Fantastic Interview. Well done Dele, takes alot of guts to hold your hands up, get the help you need and then to share for the world to see. Thank you for sharing this. What a great platform you have @GNev2 well done.

@JB_CFFire: Stay strong Dele, you gave me some magical moments as a fan and some that I’ll never forget. I hope that you manage to get the help and support you need and I’d love to see that smile back on a football field sometime soon. 💪

@sismai: What Gary has been doing with these Overlap athlete interviews is very powerful to tap into the vulnerable side of these guys and make them feel comfortable to share with the world their struggles is not easy. Well done Gaz

@tizer778: Great honest interview. These sorts of conversations need to happen far more than they currently do. Professional athletes sacrifice everything for their sport, including their mental health. Wishing him all the best

@m27reds: Such a powerful interview Gary. And now it all makes sense to people what’s been going on with Dele. Well done to him to for having the balls to tell his story because he’s been through so much. Really hope he can get back to his level now, top player

@SeniorRosco: @dele_official sending nothing but love your way. I wish we could bring you back to Spurs and look after you and get you back to your best. Wish you nothing but the best. Well done for speaking out, we are all proud of you 🤍🤍🤍

@Archie_Tashjian: I hope he can make a miraculous comeback, but I fear we will talk about him in future as the great talent that didn’t quite make it. At least we enjoyed some wonderful moments while he was at @SpursOfficial

@gavindavies87: This was an unbelievable watch just goes to show no one knows what anyone is going through. Well done Dele for finding the courage to speak up about everything

He was already living up to his potential if you watched football. Just couldn’t keep it up for the reasons stated.

— The Nomad Post. (@the_nomad_post) July 13, 2023

Seems such a lovely guy, just lost in a battle against his mind – so sad. I hope he gets good help.

Great interview @GNev2. Footballers are human, they have feelings – bad days & good days – just like us all.

— Jamie Martin (@ImJamieMartin) July 13, 2023

We have to applaud this, to come out with raw emotion and from someone who was at the top level of football and with the world at his feet to be going through the struggles everyday proves no one is immortal. Well done to Dele for having the courage to speak about your experience

— Simon Cox (@SCoxy31Real) July 13, 2023