Dele Alli is a talented footballer, no doubt. The twenty year old player has been one of the most important players for Mauricio Pochettino’s team since his arrival a couple of years ago.
The £5million Tottenham Hotspurs spent on him is currently one of the best deals in the Premier League in terms of value for money. Alongside Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen, he is one of the most productive members of the Spurs squad, a key player.
Over the years, football followers have at one point or the other been reminded just how valuable a good character is for a player who intends to make something of himself on the big stage. There have been several instances of super talented players who fell on the wayside due to a terrible attitude both on and off the pitch. One of those players is Ravel Morrison, a graduate of Manchester United’s academy. He was once considered one of the best English talents at the age of 16, even better than Wayne Rooney ever was at that age; the football world had massive expectations. Those expectations were not to be.
One thing is certain, a player’s attitude is very important if he intends to make the most of his footballing ability. In the last clash between Manchester United and Spurs, a side of Dele Alli that has gotten him into trouble a couple of times came to the fore. He got into a war of words with Manchester United’s Ashley Young after the latter confronted him for diving.
The face-off almost degenerated into a physical situation before it was diffused, and it brought back echoes of an incidence that happened during Spurs’ clash against Gent last season. Alli was handed a three-match ban after a dangerous challenge on Brecht Dejaegere, and this was responsible for him missing Spurs’ first three Champions League fixtures this season.
He also received a one-match ban from FIFA after making an improper gesture at Kyle Walker after a world cup qualifier. Rash and silly actions like this are already earning the young English talent a notorious reputation, and that would not help his career. Sometimes when he is unable to rein in this behaviour and isn’t allowed to get away with it, it costs his team his valuable contribution, or the contribution of other players that could come in as subs.
Dele Alli may be considered one of the biggest talents in English football at the moment, but talent is hardly all that is needed, and if he wants to reach the pinnacle of his career and be spoken of in the same breath as some of English footballing greats, he would have to hone his character and attitude just as much as he hones his football talents.