You may have noticed that Dele Alli has changed the name on the back of his shirt this season.
For the 2015/16 season, his name was displayed as “Alli”, whereas in the 2016/17 season, he will have his name displayed as “Dele” – as seen in Spurs’ match against Everton this weekend.
The club stated the change had been made for “personal reasons”, and Alli said it’s “not a decision I have taken without a lot of thought and discussion with family close to me”.
.@Dele_Alli will retain number 20 but for personal reasons has elected to have the name 'DELE' displayed on the reverse of his match shirts.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 12, 2016
As a teenager, Alli moved out of his mother’s house, and lived with a couple called Alan and Sally Hickford, his mother was said to be dealing with alcoholism at the time, and the move was seen as a way of Alli being able to realise his dream of being a professional footballer, and of his mother Denise being able to focus on overcoming her addiction.
While Alli hasn’t publicly stated that he has taken his surname off of his shirt, it’s known that he sees the Hickfords as being like parents to him, and the change from “Alli” to “Dele” is a way he can play under a name without having to identify as either being part of the Alli family or the Hickford family, when he feels part of both.
The change was on show today, when Spurs drew 1-1 with Everton at Goodison Park. Eric Lamela scored for Spurs after Dele Alli’s competitor for the England No.10 role, Ross Barkley, put Everton ahead in the fifth minute.
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