Former England midfielder Dele Alli was sent off less than 10 minutes into his first professional match for two years as new club Como were beaten by AC Milan in Serie A.
Dele came on as an 81st-minute substitute for his Como debut but was sent off in second-half stoppage time for a rash challenge on Milan midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Dele was sent on by Como manager Cesc Fabregas, but a clumsy tackle on compatriot Loftus-Cheek saw referee Matteo Marchetti upgrade his initial booking to a red card following a VAR review.
The review showed Dele’s studs catching the leg of Loftus-Cheek and Marchetti had little option but to send him off.
This was despite the best efforts of Dele’s former Spurs team-mate Kyle Walker in pleading his case to the referee.
Walker gets a bad press in England thanks to his extracurricular activities and high-profile lapses at major tournaments, but his human reaction to Dele’s plight was a far cry from his tabloid caricature.
Even though Milan were leading late in the game, Walker had nothing to gain from his quest for leniency.
But the on-loan Manchester City defender certainly went up in our estimations by reminding us that, for now, football is played by people and not emotionless AI robots.
Como went on to lose the game 2-1, with Christian Pulisic and Tijani Reijnders scoring in the second half for Milan at the San Siro after Lucas da Cunha put the visitors ahead before the break.
Dele Alli was sent off after receiving a red card just nine minutes into his first professional appearance in two years.
Even Kyle Walker was pleading with the ref to keep the initial yellow and to not change it to a red 💔 pic.twitter.com/B6hWGYeHks
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 15, 2025
Dele, who previously played for Tottenham and was part of the England side that reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, signed for Como before Christmas after a long period out of the game.
He had not played since a spell on loan at Besiktas from Everton, with his last game coming in February 2023.
The 28-year-old signed for the Italian top-flight debutants in January and trained with them for a month before being named as an unused sub in the 2-1 defeat by Roma on 2 March.
Fabregas, who was also dismissed late on, refused to make excuses for Dele after the game.
“Dele Alli is a goal scorer. I tried to give him an opportunity,” Fabregas told DAZN.
“A serious mistake by an experienced player. Clear red, he left the team at a time when it could have made it 2-2.”
In an emotional interview with Gary Neville in July 2023, Dele revealed he was sexually abused at the age of six and was dealing drugs aged eight.
He also admitted drinking alcohol and taking sleeping pills during his career but emphasised his desire to return to playing after receiving support for his off-field problems.
The result means Como stay 13th in Serie A, six points above the relegation zone, while Milan are seventh.
We hope Dele receives more opportunities at Como to revive his career and remind everybody of his immense footballing talent.
But we also tip our hats to Walker for sticking up for his friend who has gone through a lengthy period of soul-searching and struggle just to play professional football again.
By Michael Lee
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