Dele: The Rise and Fall of an England Wonderkid | OneFootball

Dele was once one of the hottest prospects in English football, but now he is now attempting to pick up the pieces of a promising career which fell apart.

MK Dons

Dele began his career at his hometown club and despite their humble position in the English Football League, it did not take long for the youngster to be noticed. Arriving on the professional scene in style, his first touch in senior soccer was a perfectly placed backheel.

His performances left him being compared to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. Dele himself was a Reds supporter growing up and he later revealed they almost signed him while he was still an MK Dons player.

Dele made 74 League One appearances for the Dons and he made his minutes on the pitch count, scoring 22 goals and registering eight assists. He was named as the league’s young player of the season in his final campaign at the club and MK Dons gained automatic promotion to the Championship.

Tottenham Hotspur

Dele went on to become part of a Spurs team which really ought to have won silverware. Mauricio Pochettino’s side were fantastic from back to front and their £5m man was key to their strong league positions and progression to the latter stages of cup competitions.

Contributing with his confidence on the ball, slick passing and the occasional screamer, no one could argue Dele’s two PFA young player of the year awards were not warranted. As well as this, he was named in the 2016 Premier League team of the year. It is no wonder he received an England call-up not long after arriving at White Hart Lane.

In his strongest season at Tottenham, Dele bagged 18 goals and eight assists in 37 Premier League appearances.

Dele’s decline

While Dele remained an important player for Pochettino, he struggled to reach the heights he previously hit. He looked less of a threat in front of goal and one possible reason was Christian Eriksen’s decline. The Danish playmaker made the players around him better, but his performances dropped off before his eventual exit to Inter Milan.

However, there were clearly problems for Dele beyond that. Under Jose Mourinho, he was accused of being lazy and despite showing early promise under the Portuguese manager, he soon found himself on the bench more often than not.

Dele opens up

Dele sought to revive his career with a move to Everton, but his appearances were few and far between. He was loaned out to Besiktas in Turkey, but he only made 13 appearances, scoring just two goals.

During an emotional interview with Gary Neville in the summer of 2023, he revealed that areas of his personal life had affected his career, including developing an addiction to sleeping pills. Dele also spoke of childhood trauma he experienced, including being sexually abused when he was six years old and being forced to sell drugs when he was eight.

Back on track

After a lengthy break from professional soccer, Dele returned to the pitch for Serie A side Como 1907, a team managed by Cesc Fabregas. His start to life there was less than ideal, as he was recently sent off in a 2-1 defeat to AC Milan on his debut.

However, there is still time for the former Premier League talent to turn his career around for the better. Dele previously revealed he had plans to make the England 2026 World Cup squad and while that looks highly unlikely, he will not have given up on his dream.

It has been a tough journey for Dele both on and off the pitch, with plenty of highs, but a lot of lows too. Hopefully he will get a good opportunity in the first team at Como and be able to revive his soccer career before it is too late.