The rise and rise of Dele Alli since his MK Dons debut five years ago

England midfielder Dele Alli made his debut for MK Dons against Cambridge on November 2, 2012.

On the eve of the five-year anniversary of his League One bow, he scored twice as Tottenham defeated European champions Real Madrid 3-1 at Wembley.

Here, Press Association Sport outlines the 21-year-old’s progress.

(Mike Egerton/Empics)
(Mike Egerton/Empics)

November 2, 2012: A trainee at MK Dons, Alli appears as second-half substitute in FA Cup first-round tie at Cambridge.September 28, 2013: Notches first professional goal, in 4-1 League One trashing of Stevenage.March 11, 2014: Still just 17 years (and 11 months) old, Alli bags hat-trick in 3-1 win at Notts County.August 26, 2014: Reportedly watched by numerous scouts, having by now become a regular stand-out performer, Alli plays 90 minutes in MK Dons’ 4-0 League Cup success against Manchester United.

(Nick Potts/PA)
(Nick Potts/PA)

February 2, 2015: Signs for Tottenham in final hours of winter transfer window, for an initial fee of £5million, on a five-and-a-half-year deal. Immediately loaned back to MK Dons for rest of season.April 26, 2015: Named in Professional Footballers’ Association’s League One team of season, and voted English Football League’s young player of the year.May 3, 2015: Plays last match for MK Dons, the campaign ending with club clinching automatic promotion to Championship.August 8, 2015: Makes Spurs debut off bench in 1-0 defeat at Manchester United in first game of 2015/16 Premier League term.

(Nigel French/PA)
(Nigel French/PA)

August 22, 2015: Heads home his first Tottenham goal in 1-1 draw at Leicester.October 9, 2015: Makes senior England debut as substitute in 2-0 Euro 2016 qualifying win over Estonia at Wembley.November 17, 2015: Starts for England for first time and scores opener – past Spurs team-mate Hugo Lloris – in 2-0 home friendly triumph over France.January 12, 2016: Signs new contract at Tottenham, committing himself to club until 2021.

(PFA/PA)
(PFA/PA)

April 24, 2016: Caps brilliant breakthrough season by winning the PFA’s young player of the year award.September 19, 2016: Pens another fresh deal at Spurs, which runs until 2022.April 23, 2017: Again voted PFA young player of the year.May 2017: Finishes season with 22 club goals, in all competitions, and helps Spurs secure second place in table – their highest finish in 54 years.November 1, 2017: Nets brace as Tottenham beat Real Madrid 3-1 to qualify for knockout phase of Champions League with two games to spare.

Source: By PA Sport Staff


Published at Thu, 02 Nov 2017 17:19:39 +0000