Dele Alli has undeniably been the breakout star of this Premier League season.
The 19-year-old midfield man has been one of the driving forces behind Tottenham Hotpsur's title challenge after making a £5 million switch from MK Dons last year and his penchant for flair, goals and a tackle has made him a fan favourite at White Hart Lane.
In under 12 months, Dele Alli has gone from lower league midfield battles with Fleetwood Town to lining up opposite the Galacticos of Real Madrid. The gifted teen from Milton Keynes is proof that inner city talent can find success on Premier League pitches.
He's almost certain to play a major role at Euro 2016 this summer and he might even go to France with a club medal around his neck. Here's 10 things you should know about Dele Alli.
1. He's a Liverpool fan and Steven Gerrard is his hero
2. He overcame a difficult childhood to achieve his dream
In an interview with The Sun in January 2016, Dele Alli's mother revealed her heartache at giving her son over to adoptive parents in order to see him achieve his dream of becoming a professional footballer.
He moved to Nigeria to live with his dad when he was five-years-old, only to return to England six months later. Once his mother decided it was better for him to leave home following her issues with addiction, he moved six miles away to live with close family friends. His mum said:
“I had to let him go to give him a better future. Emotionally, it was heartbreaking but it was the right thing to do. I had a serious drink problem triggered by my unhappy childhood.
It was my decision to let Dele live with another family.I knew that was the only way he could fulfil his dream of becoming a professional footballer."
3. He was kicked off the stereo in the Spurs dressing room
Shortly after arriving at Spurs last summer, Alli was placed on dressing room music duty at his new club. Unfortunately, it seems as if his new team mates weren't as keen on 'Hotling Bling' as he was:
"When I first come to Spurs it was actually me controlling it! I got thrown straight into the deep end. The first thing I played was Drake but I’ve been kicked off it, Harry Kane is on it now…"
4. He was dominating Manchester United when he was still at MK Dons
Dele Alli made his Premier League debut by coming on as a sub for Spurs against Manchester United in the opening game of the season – but that wasn't the first time the young midfielder made his mark against the English giants.
In Louis Van Gaal's first season in England, Alli was part of an MK Dons team that embarassed United 4-0 in the Capital One Cup. Alli even thinks it was that performance that earned him a mega-money move to Spurs a few months later:
"You could say it helped me get noticed. We had a good year as a team and that was one of the stand-out matches. It was a great platform for the club and me, and a few of the other players.
It was a bit surreal against United. It was a game we didn’t really expect to win, let alone win by that much. We showed the world what we could do that night..."
5. He turned down the chance to play for Nigeria
6. He made his first start for Spurs against Real Madrid
Mere months after winning promotion from League One with MK Dons, Alli was thrust into the limelight against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale during a pre-season friendly against Real Madrid.
The match against the Galacticos was Alli's first for Spurs but he gave a huge indicator as to how good he'd be in the coming months by nutmegging ex-Tottenham star Luka Modric in the middle of the field. The 70,000 fans watching at Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena hollered with applause.
7. Dele Alli has already scored more Premier League goals than Jack Wilshere
In just one season, Dele Alli has already bettered the career goal tally of Arsenal's great midfield hope, Jack Wilshere.
In his 22 Premier League games to date, Alli has scored 7 Premier League goals – including a jaw-dropping swivel and volley against Crystal Palace – while Wilshere has scored just six times in the league, despite making his debut for the Gunners in 2008.
To further underline just how impressive his start to life in the top flight has been, his seven goals at 19-years-old are more than Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes had scored at that age combined.
8. He's got a habit of scoring wonder goals
Dele Alli is leading the chase for the Premier League goal of the season award for his mesmerising strike against Crystal Palace, but that wasn't the only time he's done something unthinkable.
Alli's built up quite the highlight reel for himself, including the above goal (one of 16 he scored in his last season with MK Dons) and his debut strike for England.
9. He's been in a music video for Meridian Dan
View this video on YouTube
Grime MC and Spurs fan Meridian Dan turned to his football club for some help when it came to creating a video for his single, 'Hot For Me Now'.
The result saw Dele Alli starring in a music video alongside his team mates Kyle Walker, Erik Lamela and Eric Dier.
10. That old MySpace photo really is legit
An overnight rise to super stardom naturally results in leagues of fans digging through the social media history of their newest hero. For Dele Alli, the only thing close to a scandal was his dress sense as a 13-year-old.
This questionable selfie soon went viral and when talking to Complex, Alli confirmed its legitimacy:
"The Picture! Yeah, that is me. I thought it was funny and I was gonna put it as my WhatsApp photo – or wear it as fancy dress."
He knows how far he's come.
