MILAN (AP) — Dele Alli’s first professional appearance in more than two years lasted just nine minutes before he was sent off.
The former England international was shown a straight red card late on in Como’s 2-1 loss at AC Milan on Saturday following a tackle on countryman Ruben Loftus-Cheek from behind.
The 28-year-old Alli had only just come off the bench for his Como debut and his first appearance in a soccer match since last playing for Turkish club Besiktas in February 2023.
Alli was initially shown a yellow card but it was upgraded to a red after a VAR review. His former Tottenham teammate Kyle Walker, who now plays for Milan, appeared to join the Como players in pleading with the referee not to send Alli off.
Alli was one of English soccer’s biggest talents, a member of the England team that reached the World Cup semifinals in 2018 and a star of Mauricio Pochettino’s young Tottenham side that reached the Champions League final in 2019.
However, the attacking midfielder’s career has derailed in recent years and he spent six weeks in rehab in the United States in 2023 in a bid to deal with mental-health problems stemming from a traumatic childhood and after getting addicted to sleeping pills.
Alli did not play at all last season for Everton before his contract expired in June 2024. His last appearances were for Besiktas during a loan spell the previous campaign.
Alli began training with Como at the end of last year and impressed coach Cesc Fabregas enough to earn himself an 18-month contract, with the option to extend for an additional 12 months.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
The Associated Press