AC Milan defender Kyle Walker expressed that he “reacted with his heart” in an attempt to persuade the referee against sending off Dele Alli during his debut for Como last month.

Dele made his appearance in the 81st minute of the match, which Milan won 2-1, marking his first play in over two years—he hadn’t played since February 2023, when he was on loan at Besiktas from Everton.

Unfortunately, his return wasn’t smooth; just 10 minutes after coming on, he was shown a red card in stoppage time for a reckless tackle on Milan’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Initially receiving a yellow card, the referee changed it to red after a VAR review, despite Walker’s protests.

“My heart definitely skipped a beat. If it had been anyone else, I might have accepted the red card,” Walker shared. “But with Dele… I know how hard he worked for this opportunity at Como. It’s a respected club where he can attempt to revive his career.”

Walker continued:

“We wanted them to play with 10 men, but due to my personal bond with Dele and all he’s faced—stuff he’s bravely spoken about publicly—I felt he didn’t deserve a red card for an unintentional tackle. He was already struggling,” Walker explained regarding his former Tottenham and England teammate.

In 2023, Dele publicly disclosed that he had suffered sexual abuse as a child and was battling an addiction to sleeping pills along with mental health challenges.

After his red card against Milan, he took to social media, stating:

“Coming back after two years! It didn’t go exactly as planned, but we’re moving forward.”

He also shared the messages exchanged with Loftus-Cheek, clarifying that he “just tried to hook him in the heel.”

Walker reflected on Dele’s need to explain himself on social media:

“That’s just the world we live in today. Would I do that? Perhaps not, but Dele felt it was necessary—probably to show fans there was no ill intent,” Walker noted.

News