Dele Alli’s meteoric rise has been unpredicted and incredible.
Five years ago, the 16 year old boy born and bred in Milton Keynes made his senior debut for MK Dons, unaware of the prodigy he would become. His rise through the English game has been rapid and unbelievable.
Alli was cherry picked to play at Stadium MK when he was 11 years old. His talent quickly identified by then-manager Karl Robinson. Robinson has spoken since of the initial impression Alli had upon him. He recalls a training session where he was coaching the senior team a new corner routine.
He instructed Alli to make a near-post run with a view to flicking the ball on with his head. When the cross came in too low to be met with a header, the midfielder was not to be outdone; he simply volleyed it into the net with his heel.
He celebrated his strike by spitting out his chewing gum, juggling it from knee-to-knee, then foot-to-foot before kicking it up into the air, catching it in his mouth and smiling. At the time, he was just 16 years old.
His self confidence is a huge aspect to his game; the attitude that he can produce moments of match winning quality.
Alli’s meteoric rise has seen his name touted with the likes of European Superpowers, Real Madrid, to name but one. The seed was planted with a seemingly revolutionary approach deployed by Robinson; the gift and trust of first team football. Following the departure of Stephen Gleeson, Robinson entrusted young Alli to develop alongside the brazen Darren Potter.
“There’s a bridge you have to help players get across that spans the youth team and first team football,” says Robinson. “For some of them, the bridge is huge, you know spanning Miami Island to South Beach. Dele’s was very small. With Dele, it was: there you go son, go and play.”
Raised in a council estate in Milton Keynes, Alli had a tougher upbringing than many. This fact alone makes his career to date even more impressive. “The thing we have to think about with Dele is he’s quite unique,” says Mike Dove, the head of the Dons youth system. “He had a tough upbringing, challenging. And those formative years were important for his resilience. They made him fear-free. Nothing worries him. He’s not being arrogant, he’s just looking to get on the pitch and be entertaining.”
For Alli, the level headiness and grounding which was provided through his adolescence has had a positive impact on his footballing career. Young Alli introduced himself to the White Hart Lane folklore with an impressive nutmeg on ex-Spurs midfielder Luka Modric. Alli oozes self confidence and belief.
He’s been unfazed by the biggest of occasions, his England debut at Wembley was marked with a goal; he has embraced the challenge of the Premier League. His mental attitude is as impressive as his technical quality, it’s been pivotal to his proliferated rise to stardom in North London.
Naturally athletic, quick and strong, from a young age it was obvious the young Alli was blessed with all the physical attributes required for the game. He was soon breaking club records for sprint times and distances run.
For Alli, he was keen to transfer the skills he’d developed on the streets and present them into his play on the Premier League’s most graced pitches. This was demonstrated with a ludicrous goal vs Crystal Palace. He made space for himself by chipping the ball over Mile Jedinak like he was playing in a street game in Milton Keynes. Alli is a player who appreciates his upbringing and uses it to personalise his football.
His fiery temper threatened to negatively impact his football, but MK Dons enforced a sin bin system to help deter Alli from seeing red. In many ways, this trait is still evident, with Alli’s recent red card in the Europa League a vivid memory.
When his first touch in the first team was an extravagant back-heel, his first goal a screamer from 30 yards, it was no surprise when Tottenham paid £5 million for him in January 2015. His education from MK Dons allowed Alli to cohesively combine his technical talents with his mental strength developed in MK1.
Two full seasons, 70 appearances and 19 senior England caps later, Alli has developed into something of a prodigy. Not only is he a prized asset to Tottenham, but he has substantially contributed to Spurs’ recent rise in English football. A home grown talent nurtured through the academy system, Alli is undoubtedly a success of that system.
Whilst not the polished article, Alli certainly has the credentials to follow a path created by Gareth Bale, if not succeed it. At 21, with nearly 150 professional games under his belt, Alli is streets ahead of his compatriots representing other London clubs.
In conclusion, the education Alli experienced throughout his youth football has been integral to his success at Tottenham, resulting in him signing a fresh six year deal with the North London club. MK Dons taught Alli to play with freedom and expression whilst ensuring he kept himself grounded. For £5m, Alli has proved to be a bargain for Tottenham and one of the catalysts to their recent title challenges.
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