Dele Alli might be one of the rising stars of English football but his heartbroken parents, Kehinde and Denise, have been pleading with him to forgive them for abandoning him and to take them back.
Kehinde and Denise revealed to Sunday Mirror how they are so disillusioned with their famous son's neglect and refusing to be part of their lives despite their constant pleas to him.
In a tell-all interview granted by Dele’s mum, Denise, she narrated how she breaks down often and cries herself to sleep over her ordeal.
The father, Kehinde, a multi-millionaire businessman Nigerian, also disclosed how the only thing missing in his life is his first-born son.
Despite splitting when Dele three, the parents came together and spoke out in a desperate bid to repair their relationship with the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder who is part of the English team to the Russia 2018 World Cup starting in less than 10 days.
47-year-old Kehinde who spoke first said:
“I just do not understand what we have done wrong. He refuses to speak to me and it feels like he’s been taken from us. But I won’t give up on getting him back.”
Denise, 53, added:
“I’m a very miserable person because I get so sad that Dele is missing out on his family and we’re missing out on him.
I want to be able to hug him and let him know we all love him to bits. I’m not interested in his money; I’d love him the same if he worked in McDonald’s. We just want our son back.”
The PFA Young Player of the Year winner whose career has been on the rise since leaving home-town club Milton Keynes Dons has consistently refused to identify his parents, with some claiming he is angry that they want to get back into his life because of his famous status and wealth.
Both Kehinde and Denise have made a series of desperate attempts to see Dele at Tottenham games, at the training ground and even by joining stadium tours but the 22-years-old has rebuffed all their attempts.
Kehinde was studying for a Masters at De Montfort University when he met Denise in a club in 1993 and they began a romance which culminated in the birth of Dele in 1996.
They broke up three years after Dele was born and in 2000, Kehinde moved to Canada for work, returning to the UK regularly.
When Dele was eight, Kehinde moved back to Lagos with Dele, a prince from a Lagois ruling house, joining his father later.
Father and son later moved back to Houston, Texas, but at age 11, the young prince returned to England after his talent for football and obsession with the game became clear.
Recalling the moment, Kehinde says:
“It was hard for me to let him go but I knew it was the best thing for him and his ambition.”
After returning to Milton Keynes to live with Denise, Dele began playing for junior side City Colts and was quickly spotted by youth scouts from the town’s Football League club MK Dons.
Denise said:
“When he was about 13, Dele began training at MK Dons five days a week. So, for convenience, he began staying at his best friend’s house during the week, before coming home at weekends.
It was hard to let him live away from home, but we didn’t have a car and I was finding it hard to get him to training myself.
It has been said that I was suffering from alcoholism and I gave him up because I couldn’t look after him, but that is a lie. I wanted to give him the best chance of achieving his dream, but he was still my son and I was there for him whenever he needed me.
He was never adopted by his friend’s parents - I would not have allowed it. My kids are my world.”
Kehinde, an oil, gas, and technology entrepreneur, thinks his son is being manipulated by others for financial gain.
He has repeatedly made the 5,000-mile journey to London from his home in Houston, trying to reunite the family. He has bought tickets for a string of Spurs games home and away just so he can see Dele in the flesh and support him.
“Not being able to see or speak to him hurts a lot. I and his brothers watch all his games on TV and they ask me, ‘Why won’t he see us?’
Dele has apparently told his sister I was never there for him growing up, but I can’t understand that. He lived with me for years and I have always been there for him both emotionally and financially.
Up until he was an adult, I paid for every holiday he ever went on and all his costs. I bought him his first car when he passed his driving test. Now he is turning his back on the family who loves him.
I know some people will think we just want him for his money, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m very wealthy in my own right and I don’t need a penny from Dele. I just want to be here for him and for him to know that I love him.”
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