The football world has rallied around Dele Alli and shown him their support via social media after he spoke candidly about checking himself into rehab to kick an addiction to sleeping tablets.
Gary Neville sat down with Alli and conducted an emotional interview in which the Everton striker spoke openly about his difficulties in recent years. He touched on his recent battle with addiction and his remarkable journey of rehabilitation.
The 27-year-old said he wanted to inspire those facing similar circumstances to speak up and seek the help they need as discussing your issues 'doesn't make you weak'.
Alli's team-mates, fans and rivals took to social media to support him following the release of the 45-minute interview - which was published on the Overlap YouTube channel.
Alli shared a clip from the interview on Thursday morning and wrote: 'I recently sat down with Gary Neville to speak about my life and what's been happening in recent years. Head over to to watch the full interview. The link is in my bio.'
James Maddison was one of the first to comment on the post and wrote: 'Proud of you brother! Love you always'. He also re-shared Alli's post to his Instagram story, with the following caption: 'Love you brother'.
Ryan Sessegnon, who played alongside Alli during his time with Premier League giants Tottenham, added: 'Love you brother. Proud'. While Kyle Walker-Peters wrote: 'So proud of you bro, love you' and George Baldock said: 'Proud of you brother'.
Others supported Alli by liking his post. Tottenham captain Harry Kane and his wife Katie Goodland were quick to like the 27-year-old's Instagram. Declan Rice, Kieran Trippier, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Jamie Reynolds also shared the love on Alli's post.
It wasn't just footballers who took to social media to support Alli, TV and radio presenter Adam Smith wrote: 'Inspirational mate'. While Josh Denzel added: 'A prayer emoji'.
Meanwhile, some fans took to social media to say: 'Your time to prove everyone wrong Dele. Stay committed, fit - let's see the old Dele AllI we all know your capable of getting again.'
Another added: 'Spurs family will always be here for you Dele. Well done for being so brave to discuss these topics', while one wrote: 'Well done Dele. Your courage will help more people that you can imagine'.
Others took to social media to say: 'Yes Dele! On the road to returning to your best! Everyone at THFC sends their love. COYS . You can do it.' While another said: 'We love you forever a hero at spurs. Look after yourself you have lots of love and support.'
Several Tottenham fans agreed with the above sentiment, writing: 'Spurs family will always be here for you Dele. Well done for being so brave and discussing these topics'.
Their support came after Alli - who emerged as one of the country’s best young talents despite a troubled childhood - revealed he had spent a recent spell in a rehab facility.
During the interview on the Overlap, Alli said: 'I got addicted to sleeping tablets, it's a problem not only I have. It's going around more than people realise in football.
'Now is probably the right time to tell people. It's tough to talk about it as it's quite recent and something I've hid for a long time and I'm scared to talk about.
'When I came back from Turkey (following a loan spell at Besiktas) I came back and found out I needed an operation.
'I was in a bad place mentally. I decided to go to a modern rehab facility that deals with addiction and mental health and trauma. I felt it was time for me. You can't be told to go there, you have to make the decision yourself.
'I was in a bad cycle. I was relying on things that were doing me harm. I was waking up every day, winning the fight going into training every day smiling - willing to show I was happy.
'Inside I was losing the battle and it was time to change. When I was told I needed surgery I could feel the feelings I had when the cycle began.
'So I went there for six weeks. Everton were amazing and supported I will be grateful to them for ever. For them to be so honest and understanding I couldn't ask for anything more during a time I was making the biggest decision of my life - doing something I was scared to do. I'm happy I've done it.
'There is a stigma around it and it's something people don't want to do. Going into rehab is scary but I could never have imagined how much I would get from it.
'I was in a bad place. A lot happened to me when I was younger that I couldn't understand and I was doing stupid things that I blame myself for. Going there and learning about it, it was never really under my control.
'Understanding learning it has helped. I let go of some bad feelings I was holding which was slowing me down.