The heights he scaled during his peak and the names that came to mind when one of his former managers discussed Dele Alli could hardly feel further away right now.
The man who was once one of the bright hopes of English football today finds himself effectively unwanted by Everton. They are not exactly overflowing with attacking quality yet remain happy to let Alli leave for Turkey.
Whatever part he may have played in it, Alli’s fall may still spark an element of sadness, particularly for those who remember the good old days.
Everton midfielder Dele Alli has emerged as a shock transfer target for Turkish outfit Besiktas
There were many of those too, most notably under Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham.
‘Maradona was a talented, gifted player; so strong, physicality, natural body, that’s strong, quick, powerful, but then his character, it’s winning, the DNA,’ Pochettino once said.
‘The charisma is the best thing he has, when he walks into the room everyone watches him, everyone wants to touch him, wants to ask for a picture.
‘Ronaldinho at Paris St Germain was similar. And it’s similar in this way with Dele. When he was scoring goals, kids loved him like he was Ronaldinho.
‘Kids feel this charisma, this energy, and with Dele it’s happened the same.’
The Toffees star has played a total of 38 minutes during the first two Premier League matches
It was under Pochettino at Tottenham that Alli rose spectacularly after joining from MK Dons for an initial £5m with a number of individual honours from his Football League days to his name that underlined his potential.
He thrived initially in central midfield and then later playing off Harry Kane, enjoying the licence to get into attacking positions and plunder goals.
Two years running he was named PFA Young player of the year in 2016 and 2017 and the inevitable England career unfolded too with a full debut wonder-goal against France – and Spurs teammate Hugo Lloris – and key role in the 2018 World Cup among the highlights.
‘Dele was an amazing player for us; the hunger and the energy and the aggression,’ Pochettino added during an appearance on Sky’s Monday Night Football in 2020.
Mauricio Pochettino got the best out of Alli, who has since struggled to replicate those heights
That spark, edge and output has disappeared in recent years, a process that began when he was moved back into central midfield under Pochettino.
Jose Mourinho tried returning him to his old position but a bright start quickly fizzled out with the now-Roma chief’s confrontational management style not the sort to help rebuild Alli who fell out of favour. Some have wondered if Alli has fallen out of love with the game altogether.
His fortunes under Mourinho continued under Nuno Espirito Santo and by the time Conte arrived last November the damage at Spurs had long been done.
Frank Lampard, one of English football’s great goalscoring midfielders, seemed like the ideal candidate for the restoration job at Everton but he too has not been able to discover what makes the 26 year-old tick.
As he watched his former protégé struggle under Mourinho, Pochettino opted to keep his thoughts on what was happening at the time to himself in part due to the fact Alli was no longer his responsibility.
Who could have predicted Alli would find himself in this sorry situation, in what should be his prime years, back when he was playing under Pochettino and shining?
Antonio Conte was also unable to extract Alli’s former self during their time together at Spurs