He was a phenom.
But now, at the age of 29, he might be done with his footballing career.
Dele Alli is reportedly considering retirement, with Italian media sharing that Alli isn’t in Como’s plans in Serie A and may hang up his cleats instead of pursuing a new opportunity.
It’d be a brutal ending to a career that for so long had so much promise.
Dele grew up in Milton Keynes and signed with MK Dons’ youth system at 11. He broke into the senior side at 16 and scored 24 goals in 88 appearances there.
Tottenham signed Dele at that point, and in each of his first two seasons with Spurs, he was voted PFA Young Player of the Year.
After Mauricio Pochettino left, Dele’s relationships with Spurs’ new managers weren’t as good, and his form dipped.
He left for Everton at that point.
Dele also spent time on loan at Besiktas in Turkey.
He only made it to Como in January 2025.
At his peak, Dele donned an England kit, too, earning 37 caps. He scored a goal in the 2018 World Cup as England reached the semifinals.
Dele scored 51 goals in 181 career appearances at Tottenham Hotspur.
He made only one appearance with Como, and was sent off with a red card after just 10 minutes on the pitch for a nasty challenge on fellow Englishman Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
If this is indeed the end for Dele, it’s a sad one.
He once was what journalist Phil McNulty described as “the golden boy of English football.” But in McNulty’s words as well, he declined to a “lost talent.”
MORE: LeBron James could turn into NBA’s biggest competition with $200 million from Saudi Arabia
