Dele Alli: 10 times the Englishman proved he was a genius | OneFootball

Dele Alli was once seen as the future of English football with some magical moments in the early years of his career showcasing his ability.

A £5 million move from MK Dons to Tottenham was the platform for his rise to prominence under Mauricio Pochettino.

Being a 19-year-old at the time, Alli probably would not have expected to have such an impression on the first-team squad as quickly as he did, with the club and fans perhaps sharing the same view.

Adding something new to the Tottenham side with his confidence and technical ability at such a young age, he quickly became a talking point for Premier League supporters.

Striking up a great partnership with England colleague, Harry Kane, had Spurs playing some of the best football in the league.

Where did it start to go wrong for Alli on the pitch?

All was going well until Pochettino was sacked by the club in 2019, only months after the side reached a Champions League final.

Jose Mourinho was the man brought in to replace the Argentinian, and Alli hit the ground running under his new boss by scoring three goals in as many games.

However, an unexpected downfall was soon to follow as Alli fell out of favour with the manager and lost his place in the team.

Many fans will remember the moment in the 'All or Nothing' documentary on Amazon Prime, in which Mourinho called Alli: "lazy."

The Portuguese manager is known for his straight-talking attitude, and Alli appeared to bare the brunt of this.

After losing his place in the Spurs side and not feeling appreciated by the club anymore, he moved on to Everton, where he only played 13 games before moving on loan to Besiktas.

'The Overlap' YouTube channel, the 27-year-old explained past traumas that he believes have had an impact on him during his adult life.

Having faced criticism from fans and media in recent times for their perception of his attitude, the interview will have changed a lot of people's opinions.

Revealing the abuse he suffered at a young age and an unsettled home life, it is easy to understand the issues he has since faced.

A positive to take from the conversation is that Alli said: "I'm probably in the best place I've been mentally."

He went on to add: "After I came back from Turkey [Besiktas], I found out I needed an operation, and I was in a bad place mentally."

"I decided to go to a modern-day rehab facility for mental health," the midfielder explained.

It will be to the delight of everyone that this decision has helped Alli get into a better place mentally and find his passion for football once more as he explained to Neville.

Many will no doubt be rooting for the young man to get back to playing football and showing some moments as special as the ones below.

10 Sensational back heel pass in the Champions League

Midfield players almost need to have eyes in the back of their heads, and Alli seemed to have just that in a Champions League tie.

With the ball being floated into the middle of the pitch, Alli takes two opposing players out of the game with a delicate flick to keep the ball moving out wide to a teammate in space.

He wasn't helped by the pass he received but took the chance to showcase his intelligence as well as his technical ability while facing his own goal.

9 Nutmeg on a referee

An FA Cup tie with Southampton proved that anyone on the field can be vulnerable to being beaten with a bit of skill.

In this case, the referee was the unfortunate victim of a seamless nutmeg by the Spurs man.

It appears the official assisted in getting out of the way, but nonetheless, the improvisation from Alli was refreshing to see.

Being closed down by James Ward-Prowse, the quick nutmeg and back heel to a teammate diffused a situation that could have ended badly, either by losing the ball or by injuring the referee.

8 Brilliant use of football ability in cricket

It appears that Alli is not only a talented football player but can also use his ability to conquer other sports.

An indoor game of cricket between the players at Tottenham provided a moment of magic from the midfielder.

With the ball rifled into him at some speed, Alli used his delicate touch to take all the pace off the ball and flick it up with his foot.

An easy catch followed, along with the celebration of his colleagues around him.

Maybe a future as a goalkeeper wouldn't be too far-fetched if things don't work out back in the engine room.

7 Nutmeg vs Emre Can

Managing to nutmeg a referee is one thing, but doing so to a fellow professional is another skill completely.

Being closed down by the German and Mohamed Salah, there was very little room to manoeuvre against some very tough opponents.

A quick glance over the shoulder to get an idea of Can's position, followed by a couple of small touches allowed him the time to execute the skill to perfection.

Sending the ball through his opponent's legs smoothly was enough to drive him forward and take Can out of the game completely.

6 Passing from the ground vs West Ham

Premier League midfielders and defenders would have dreaded facing Alli during his best years.

Thinking on his feet is a huge attribute of his game with all his imaginative skills and passes on show.

Ironically, he was not on his feet at all when he pulled off an unlikely pass to Heung-Min Son.

Playing against West Ham, he appeared to be running out of space and heading out of play when he lost balance when controlling the ball.

Instead of giving up the idea of retaining possession, he once again showed his vision with a cheeky back heel to pick out Son.

5 A headed double vs Chelsea

Not enough is made of the heading ability Alli has shown during his career.

Chelsea felt the full wrath of this during a Premier League match in early 2017 - not once, but twice.

In a tense derby, a wonderfully guided header opened the scoring for Spurs to give them the advantage.

Getting on the end of a floated cross to the back post, he directed the ball into the bottom corner from a tight angle with his head.

A 2-0 win was all thanks to the brace with the goals coming in each half.

4 Great touch and finish vs Everton

A rather hopeful-looking pass over the top of the Everton backline looked almost impossible to deal with.

But using his pace and height, Alli brought the ball down on his chest while moving at great speed.

The control was one thing, but the finish was possibly even more difficult.

Off-balance and being closed down by the opposing defender, he pulled off an outrageous volleyed finish to beat the goalkeeper.

Perfectly executing the knee slide during his celebration summed up just how confident Alli was during that stage in his career.

3 Scoring the winner at Stamford Bridge

In similar fashion to the goal at Goodison Park, he scored in much the same way against fierce rivals Chelsea.

Making a darting run from deep, he was picked out in space and punished the opposition with a delicate first touch and a brilliant finish past the on-rushing goalkeeper.

Add the fact it marked Spurs' first win away against Chelsea in 28 years, and it makes it an even better watch.

The ability to take the ball down while on the run was made to look almost effortless and it is anything but.

2 That touch and finish vs Man Utd

Yet another impressive goal on the road.

The ball looked like it wasn't going to fall Tottenham's way as it bounced around.

A save from David De Gea sent the ball high in the air, causing uncertainty in the defence.

Using his strength to hold off Fred while keeping an eye on the ball, Alli took a touch that no one expected.

Rather than swinging his leg at it in hope, he took the ball down in a way to beat any defenders around him and give him a chance at a shot.

All his hard work paid off when he found the far corner of the net to beat De Gea.

1 Goal of the Season vs Crystal Palace

The goal that really made people stand up and take notice of the youngster at the time.

Premier League fans will have heard his name, and been somewhat familiar with his game, but none were ready for this.

The ball was headed down to him on the edge of the area in a game that was level and coming towards its end.

A lot of young players would not have the confidence to do what Alli did.

He flicked the ball up once, then over a defender's head before sending a brilliant volley into the bottom corner while on the turn.