Dele Alli’s footballing career could be drawing to a close as the 29-year-old contemplates retirement.
Alli‘s latest venture after leaving Tottenham in 2022 saw him join Italian side Como in January, with whom he made his first appearance after over two years away from the pitch.
However, as reported by Gazetta dello Sport (31 July), the former England international was not named in the Serie A club’s pre-season squad and is now considering retiring after the latest setback.
It will pain Tottenham fans to hear this news, as Alli became one of the Lilywhites’ most beloved players during his seven-year spell in North London.
The gifted midfielder brought a lot of joy to N17 over the years, with Tottenham News listing his top five moments in a Spurs shirt.
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Nothing endears a player to Tottenham fans more than scoring against bitter rivals Arsenal, especially at the Emirates, to progress through to the semi-final of the Carabao Cup.
Alli did just that, but to cap it off, the finish was one of his best. The midfielder latched onto a clipped ball from Harry Kane and calmly brought it down with one touch before delicately lifting it over Petr Cech.
It had been over eight years since Spurs had last beaten the Gunners at their ground before Alli’s masterful goal set them on their way to a famous 2-0 victory in North London.
The same as Arsenal, but better. This time, it had been 28 years since Spurs had beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and while the rivalry is not quite the same, it’s a close second.
In steps Alli, who followed up Christian Eriksen’s unbelievable equaliser with another classic run from deep, collecting a ball over the top and nestling a finish past Willy Caballero.
The fresh-faced midfielder then took advantage of a goalline scramble to prod in his second and ensure that Tottenham emerged 3-1 winners on an unforgettable afternoon for the Lilywhites.
Alli’s rise coincided with Tottenham establishing themselves as a UEFA Champions League-level side, and there was no sterner test than facing the then-back-to-back winners, Real Madrid.
The stage did not faze the former Milton Keynes man as he slid in to connect with Kieran Trippier’s cross and put Spurs one-nil up against the record holders.
Alli then doubled his side’s lead when he skipped around Casemiro and fired a deflected shot past Kiko Casilla, sending Wembley into ruptures as Tottenham secured another memorable 3-1 victory.
Tottenham’s greatest night in the Champions League will forever be associated with hat-trick hero Lucas Moura, but his goals would not have been possible without Alli.
Spurs were two-nil down and needing three goals to progress when the talented midfielder turned his man before Lucas collected the ball and poked it into the net with less than 40 minutes to play.
The Brazilian got another by wiggling away from challenges to rifle an equaliser in before Alli flicked the ball into Lucas’ path in the 96th minute as the forward sealed the comeback with virtually the last kick of the game.
Alli was just 18 when he joined Tottenham, but Mauricio Pochettino wasted no time in bringing him into the first team.
He had already displayed his ridiculous talent to the Spurs fans, but the audacious goal against Crystal Palace announced him to the world.
Alli controlled a ball in mid-air, before flicking it over a defender and rasping a volley into the bottom left-hand corner beyond the keeper in what will surely go down in history as the best goal of his career.