
Gary Neville and Dele Alli broke down in tears as the Everton midfielder opened up about the traumatic events in his life.
Alli revealed he had considered retirement at the age of 24 and recently spent a stint in rehab to improve his mental health.
The 27-year-old was sidelined after picking up a long-term injury while on loan at Turkish side Besiktas and has now said: " Mentally I'm in the best place I've ever been." But appearing on an episode of Neville's The Overlap, the former England midfielder and assistant coach broke down in tears as Alli recalled a series of horrific events from his childhood.
The former Tottenham star revealed he was sexually abused at the age of six and started doing drugs at the age of eight, he was later adopted at the age of 12.
Alli also said he became addicted to sleeping pills in an attempt to quell his mental trauma and worries, a problem more prevalent in football.
A moment that left Alli and Neville in tears When asked about his childhood, Alli said: "It's something I haven't talked about much but there were a few incidents that might give it a brief sense. At the age when I was six I was sexually abused by my mother's friend who was at home a lot, my mother was an alcoholic.I was sent to Africa to learn discipline and then sent back.
At the age of seven I started smoking and at eight I started taking drugs. An older person told me they wouldn't stop a kid on a bike, so I'd ride with my soccer ball and the drugs underneath. Then they hung me upside down under the bridge, it was a neighbor. At the age of 24, I thought about retiring from football ," Alli said through tears.