Former England midfielder Dele Alli was dismissed just under 10 minutes into his first professional game in two years as his new team Como lost to AC Milan in Serie A.
It felt like déjà vu and not the good kind for Dele Alli. Sudden disappearance. A new chance in Serie A. Then, a red card before the match had truly settled. It’s the kind of moment football cruelly loves: a comeback story twisted by a flash of ill-discipline.
Dele entered the game as a substitute in the 81st minute for his debut with Como but received a red card during stoppage time of the second half for a reckless tackle on Milan's Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
He came on with hope in his eyes, a month of training under Cesc Fabregas behind him, a crowd buzzing with curiosity. Fans whispered, “can he find his sparkle again?” But less than 10 minutes later, that spark flickered out. The red card was harsh, abrupt and instantly dominating every conversation.
Dele was introduced by Como manager Cesc Fabregas, but a careless challenge on fellow countryman Loftus-Cheek prompted referee Matteo Marchetti to elevate his first booking to a red card after a VAR check.
Picture Cesc Fabregas watching from the sideline, a glint of "I’m backing this lad" in his eyes. Then watching that same lad hobble off. It must have twisted something deep in Fabregas’s chest. He’d built his coaching reputation on composure and fairness his expression spoke volumes more than any public words later could.
The evaluation revealed Dele’s studs striking Loftus‑Cheek's leg, leaving Marchetti with little choice but to dismiss him.
VAR paused the game and paused our breath. It was a clean hit, studs-first, and Loftus-Cheek hit the turf like a shot. No theatrics, no flinch it was clear. In these split-second moments, the tech often frees the referee from public outcry and this time Marchetti made the only call he could.
This occurred regardless of the efforts made by Dele’s ex‑Spurs teammate Kyle Walker in advocating for him to the referee.
You have to imagine Walker, panting from the sideline, pointing and pleading like an older brother. It’s the sort of small gesture that silences critics later. It was real, raw humanity between teammates even as a red card hung in the air.
Walker receives negative coverage in England due to his off‑field activities and notable errors in major tournaments, yet his empathetic response to Dele’s situation was quite different from the sensationalized image often portrayed in tabloids.
Back home, tabloids love to paint Walker as the bad guy. But here, on Italian turf, he reminded us all who he really is when the whistle doesn’t blow for headlines: a teammate. A friend. Even a conscience in the chaos.
Despite Milan holding the lead late in the match, Walker had no advantage to gain from his pursuit of mercy.
He wasn’t angling for a return pass or soft-marking from the bench. He was doing what players do best looking out for each other. That told us more about his character than any off-field saga ever could.
However, the Manchester City defender on loan definitely raised our opinion of him by reminding us that, at this moment, football is played by humans and not by emotionless AI machines.
In a sport often dissected like code by analysts and pundits, this moment was refreshingly messy Real human streaks of empathy in floodlight chaos. It reminded us football isn’t binary. It’s emotion, instinct, loyalty, misstep and mercy.
Como ultimately lost the match 2-1, with goals from Christian Pulisic and Tijani Reijnders in the second half for Milan at the San Siro, following Lucas da Cunha giving the visitors the lead before halftime.
The San Siro that night felt heavy cold. Somehow, da Cunha’s opener had a wind-in-the-sails mood. Then Pulisic and Reijnders kicked Milan back to life. Como had chances, flashes of hope after Dele left but goals lingered on the other side.
Dele, formerly with Tottenham and a member of the England team that made it to the 2018 World Cup semi‑finals, joined Como before Christmas following an extended absence from football.
Remember that Tottenham Dele? The goals, the flair, the swagger on big nights? It’s been a long road from those Park Lane floodlights. Injuries, form dips, mental battles... two years passed since he took to the pitch competitively. Tonight was supposed to be a reset.
He had not participated in a match since his loan period at Besiktas from Everton, with his most recent game being in February 2023.
Eighteen months out of competitive rhythm. That’s a long break between breaths in football. Legs stiffen. Nerves fray. Timing slips. Even a shining talent can feel like a rusty tool jagged, not smooth.
The 28‑year‑old joined the Italian Serie A newcomers in January and practiced with the team for a month before being listed as an unused substitute during the 2‑1 loss to Roma on March 2.
A month building with team tactical sessions, gym sweat, John-from-accounting level hay fever. Then Rome came, came the bench, came nerves. The coaches said he’s ready, fans hoped he’d edge forward. But the night ended without a touch.
Fabregas, who was similarly sent off late in the match, declined to offer excuses for Dele following the game.
That tells you something. The coach found himself dusky red, boots off too late in the game yet he didn’t point fingers. He didn’t deflect. And neither did the team. Everything on the pitch had happened in real time, nothing hidden.
“Dele Alli is a striker. I attempted to offer him a chance,” Fabregas told DAZN.
“A grave error committed by a seasoned player.”
There’s no sugar-coating there. Just hard truths. Fabregas owns the call. Dele owns the tackle. And football frames both as momentsnot sentences.
He clearly received a red card and departed from the team at a moment when they could have equalized to 2–2.
The timing brutal. Inside 10 minutes on the pitch. When legs were fresh and hopes were burning. The clock said they still had time. But red cards eat time as fiercely as opponents do.
In a heartfelt interview with Gary Neville in July 2023, Dele disclosed that he was sexually abused when he was six and was involved in drug dealing at the age of eight.
This wasn’t just an “off-field issue.” It was seismic. Imagine carrying that into training grounds, onto family holidays, into your professional life. The fact he spoke up at all sent shockwaves. Football can feel selfish but this was courage.
He also acknowledged consuming alcohol and using sleeping pills throughout his career but stressed his wish to resume playing after gaining assistance for his off‑field issues.
It’s not a neat redemption arc. It’s messy, bilateral, ongoing. Nights when you’re awake and ashamed. Nights when you don’t remember. Then mornings when you feel the shame again. Yet here he was, training again, trying to breathe back life into that football soul.
The outcome indicates that Como remains in 13th place in Serie A, six points clear of the relegation zone, whereas Milan occupies the seventh position.
Como breathe, but only just. A few more misplaced tackles, and the survival zone would start screaming. Milan? They nibble at top-6 dreams. But these points even this match feels more than a fixture. It’s a statement about restarts, identities, small clubs dreaming.
We wish for Dele to get additional chances at Como to rejuvenate his career and showcase his considerable footballing skills to everyone.
Because amidst the red, the mistakes, the headlines there’s still that kid from Milton Keynes with eyes that lit up stadiums. A sparkle hasn’t vanished. It just needs space and patience to catch the light.
However, we also commend Walker for supporting his friend, who has endured a long time of introspection and hardship just to return to professional football.
Football journalists get paid to criticize players. Teammates aren’t. They show loyalty in a fleeting word, a gesture under stress. Walker’s shout to the referee? It was small but it spoke loud. It told us that grief, redemption, and carnage all co‑exist in one tackle.
Wanderlustsport Verdict
This isn’t about Dele Comeback or CescGate. It’s about football as theatre, Redemption and Humanness mistakes made under lights. And small acts like Kyle Walker pointing painting the bigger picture.
If you’re a Como fan, you’ll remember the red not for rage but for the story it continues. If you’re a Dele watcher, you felt the heartbreak but also the hunger to answer again.
If you’re a football believer, you saw that in one moment, the game reminded us it’s still human: messy, fragile, hopeful.