Dele Alli beats Onazi to the ball in midfield tussle. PHOTO: Reuters
NIGERIA fans booed Dele Alli at Wembley because he was playing for England and not them.
The Tottenham star has a Nigerian father, but he was born in England and has lived in the country since birth.
Loud boos echoed around the stadium when Alli touched the ball during the World Cup warm-up match.
Alli made it clear from the off that he would pursue his international career with the Three Lions.
He progressed through the youth ranks and made several appearances at Under-17 and Under-18 level.
England fans flocked to Twitter to defend the 22-year-old star, with one stating: “Dele Alli is getting booed for playing for England rather than Nigeria, guys he was born in Milton Keynes.”
One Twitter user joked that Alli was receiving the barrage of abuse for his new hairstyle.
The 22-year-old’s typically black hair has been flecked with what appears to be dabs of blonde highlights.
Alli did not let the fans get under his skin as he patrolled the midfield for Gareth Southgate’s side, who were 2-0 up by half-time.
Gary Cahill opened the scoring after seven minutes, before Spurs ace Harry Kane doubled the tally.
In 2016, the England international changed the name on the back of his shirt because he felt “no connection with the Alli surname.”
The Tottenham star has since decided to stick the name ‘Dele’ on his jersey. THE SUN
