England midfielder Dele Alli made his debut for MK Dons against Cambridge on November 2, 2012.
On the eve of the five-year anniversary of his League One bow, he scored twice as Tottenham defeated European champions Real Madrid 3-1 at Wembley.
Here, Press Association Sport outlines the 21-year-old’s progress.
(Mike Egerton/Empics)
November 2, 2012: A trainee at MK Dons, Alli appears as second-half substitute in FA Cup first-round tie at Cambridge.September 28, 2013: Notches first professional goal, in 4-1 League One trashing of Stevenage.March 11, 2014: Still just 17 years (and 11 months) old, Alli bags hat-trick in 3-1 win at Notts County.August 26, 2014: Reportedly watched by numerous scouts, having by now become a regular stand-out performer, Alli plays 90 minutes in MK Dons’ 4-0 League Cup success against Manchester United.
(Nick Potts/PA)
February 2, 2015: Signs for Tottenham in final hours of winter transfer window, for an initial fee of £5million, on a five-and-a-half-year deal. Immediately loaned back to MK Dons for rest of season.April 26, 2015: Named in Professional Footballers’ Association’s League One team of season, and voted English Football League’s young player of the year.May 3, 2015: Plays last match for MK Dons, the campaign ending with club clinching automatic promotion to Championship.August 8, 2015: Makes Spurs debut off bench in 1-0 defeat at Manchester United in first game of 2015/16 Premier League term.
(Nigel French/PA)
August 22, 2015: Heads home his first Tottenham goal in 1-1 draw at Leicester.October 9, 2015: Makes senior England debut as substitute in 2-0 Euro 2016 qualifying win over Estonia at Wembley.November 17, 2015: Starts for England for first time and scores opener – past Spurs team-mate Hugo Lloris – in 2-0 home friendly triumph over France.January 12, 2016: Signs new contract at Tottenham, committing himself to club until 2021.
(PFA/PA)
April 24, 2016: Caps brilliant breakthrough season by winning the PFA’s young player of the year award.September 19, 2016: Pens another fresh deal at Spurs, which runs until 2022.April 23, 2017: Again voted PFA young player of the year.May 2017: Finishes season with 22 club goals, in all competitions, and helps Spurs secure second place in table – their highest finish in 54 years.November 1, 2017: Nets brace as Tottenham beat Real Madrid 3-1 to qualify for knockout phase of Champions League with two games to spare.
