Dele Alli: I don’t want any relationship with my Nigerian father

Former Tottenham star Dele Alli has spoken of his estranged relationship with his parents, specifically stating why he doesn’t want any relationship with his father.

Alli made the disclosure to Gary Neville on The Overlap, sharing his experience living with his blood father in Africa, the trauma he had to put up with as a child and how he has required rehab to overcome the effects of the loose upbringing.

Dele Alli said “I had no rules. I didn’t grow up with any rules. My mum drank a lot, and I understand her better now because of what she was going through.

” My blood dad lived in Africa, and I got sent to him, to stay there for a year, and it was horrible. I didn’t want to be there at all. It was a big culture change, and I didn’t want to be there, and after six months, I got sent back, and I don’t speak to him again.”

On how he lost connection with his Nigerian father before he reappeared following his glory days with the Three Lions of England, Dele Alli explained his decision to stay away from his parents.

” He went missing for a while, and then when I started playing for England he came back, and when I was around eighteen,” the out-of-form midfielder continued.

” They went to the press to accuse my adopted family of taking advantage of me and that they want to go through my contracts. I hadn’t spoken to him for years, so I knew that was not my mum’s decision, so I felt so betrayed and let down that I had to cut the relationship with my mum, and for my dad, I don’t want the relationship anyway.”

As part of revelations into his childhood, Alli revealed how he moved from smoking at the age of seven to doing drugs at eight.

Alli was sent to Nigeria by his English mum , but that lasted only six months, as the culture change was too much and so he moved back to England.