Dele Alli's Como Debut Turns Sour with Red Card, Shares Amusing Text Exchange with Loftus-Cheek
Dele Alli's long-awaited return to professional football quickly turned into a nightmare as the former England international was sent off just 10 minutes into his debut for Como on Saturday. The midfielder, making his first appearance in over two years, received a straight red card in the 91st minute for a challenge from behind on AC Milan's Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Despite former Tottenham teammate Kyle Walker's attempts to convince the referee to reconsider, Alli was dismissed, bringing an abrupt end to his comeback match. The incident marked a disappointing conclusion to what was his first professional game since February 26, 2023, when he played for Turkish club Besiktas in a goalless draw against Antalyaspor.
A day after the match, Alli took to Instagram to share moments from his debut, including a humorous WhatsApp conversation with Loftus-Cheek about the incident. In his post caption, Alli acknowledged the significance of his return while maintaining a positive outlook: "2 years! Not necessarily how I planned it, but we keep moving."
The text exchange revealed Alli's surprise at the severity of the punishment. "Mad ting. Picture looks bad tho, I just tried to clip your heel. When the ref went to VAR I didn't even know it was for me," he wrote to Loftus-Cheek. The AC Milan midfielder responded with equal confusion: "Bro I had no clue. I stayed down coz I was blowing." Alli humorously concluded the conversation with: "Don't piss me off. I am putting this in a photo dump, that calm?"
Como manager Cesc Fabregas was less amused by the situation, expressing his frustration with Alli's challenge and supporting the referee's decision to show a red card. The newly promoted Serie A side will now be without Alli when they return to action after the international break against Empoli on March 29.
The incident marks another setback for Alli, whose career has faced significant challenges since his departure from Tottenham. Football fans will now have to wait longer to see if the once-promising midfielder can revive his career with the Italian club following this inauspicious start.
