Content Warning: This story and the video embedded above contain an open discussion of physical and sexual abuse, addiction, and mental illness.
We all know parts of Dele’s story. As Tottenham Hotspur fans, of course we do – we were there to witness Dele’s meteoric rise from League One footballer at MKDons to world stardom under Mauricio Pochettino at the age of 19. He was and still is a beloved part of the extended Tottenham family for many fans.
For the same reasons, we as fans also know the story of Dele’s so-called ‘fall from grace’ – how his game faltered after Pochettino’s departure, his gradual marginalization under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte and his eventual departure to Everton where he continued to struggle under Frank Lampard. We’ve all seen the conversation with Mourinho on the documentary All or Nothing, in which Mourinho shared some “tough love” and “secret truths” about his perceived attitude. That seemed to set the stage for everything that followed.
But we don’t know the whole story. how could we Today Gary Neville released the latest episode of his interview video podcast The Overlap on YouTube. It’s an in-depth interview with Dele, in which Dele reveals the depth of the struggle he’s been through, not just in the past few years, but throughout his life. He reveals he’s considered retiring from the game he loves and is the only thing he feels good about at the age of 24, and slams the producers of ‘All or Nothing’ for the way and Way the documentary was edited for narrative purposes.
It is a heartbreaking lecture that everyone should definitely see. In it, Dele reveals that he was recently released from a rehabilitation facility where he was struggling with addictions to sleeping pills and alcohol. He talks about his lifelong struggles with mental illness and depression. And most harrowingly, he talks about his childhood — how he was sexually abused at age six, dealing drugs at seven and hanging from a bridge at age 11 before being adopted by the family of his best friend, whom he , adopted, thanks for literally saving his life.
I don’t want to elaborate on that any further. As a writer my job is to communicate with people and after watching this video I just can’t find the words to express my feelings. I suspect many of you feel the same way – either out of human compassion or perhaps because you have had similar traumas or experiences in your life.
I think overall what I feel most is sadness for everything Dele has been through and pride that he gets to share these most intimate and difficult moments with the world because he wants to help others not go through what he went through. Addiction is real. trauma is real The suffering is real and everything is terrible.
just look at it Take a few minutes and watch. listen to him Hear his story. That’s all.
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