A video has been doing the rounds on social media during the last few days.
It's a clip from Amazon's 'All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur' docuseries, which charts the Premier League club's 2019/20 campaign. In it, manager Jose Mourinho tells a 23-year-old Dele Alli not to let his promising career go by the wayside.
"I am 56 now and yesterday - yesterday! - I was 20," said Mourinho. "Time flies! Time flies! I think one day, I think you will regret [it] if you don't reach what you can reach. I'm not expecting you to be the man of the match every game, I'm not expecting you to score goals every game. I just want to tell you that I think you will regret [it].
"You should demand more from you. Not me demanding more from you, not me, nobody - you. I think you should demand more from you."
Three years later, Alli's Premier League career is in tatters. He's joined Turkish side Besiktas on loan from Everton, a move that seemed unthinkable when he was representing Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League final.
Some fans have argued this is a chance for the 26-year-old to reignite his career and that it's disrespectful for Besiktas - one of the biggest clubs in Turkey - to be viewed as a step down. But make no mistake about it, this is a big step down for Alli.
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How did this happen? Statistically, his downfall is obvious. He's scored just one Premier League goal since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, despite playing 38 games. That's a glaring fact when you consider he managed 18 during the 2016/17 season alone.
Four managers have also failed to get Alli back to his best - Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo, Antonio Conte and now Frank Lampard at Goodison Park. This isn't just a case of a player not fitting into a manager's system. There's far more to it.
Yet that doesn't necessarily mean there's anything wrong with Alli's attitude, as many have alluded to via now his infamous conversation with Mourinho. Nor is there anything wrong with the car he drives or the clothes he wears.
"When he signed for Everton, put a suit on," said Paul Merson on last weekend's Soccer Saturday. "They're only nitty little things, but put a suit on - put a nice blue suit on and just give that image. It was the image of like: 'I'll come here'."
Alli has also been accused of being a bad trainer by some, including Mourinho. But you don't become a two-time PFA Young Player of the Year by being a bad trainer. There's clearly been times in his career where he hasn't reached the level required in training, but that's not a constant.
"In training he gets bored easily if you don’t put in opposition and you push him to compete, because he’s an animal, a competitive animal," explained former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino in 2018. "When he feels so comfortable, when he’s in a very competitive space and situation, he always gives his best."
And as Lampard recently said: "Full pelt training is non-negotiable and I think Dele needs, needed, to understand that is important for me and for him. In pre-season, I've seen that."
The truth is few really know what's happening behind the scenes. As Merson added: "I'm gutted for the kid, I really am. I feel sorry for him because something has gone wrong along the way. You're not that good and then become that bad."
When you listen to ex-players recall their downfalls, they give a variety of reasons for it. It could be an injury that hasn't healed properly or surgery that's gone wrong. But a lot of the time, it's due to a contractual situation - a problem Alli could be facing.
So far, Everton haven't given Tottenham a penny for Alli's services. The Toffees signed him on a free transfer with £40million coming in add-ons. It's believed the first £10m of that is owed once Alli plays 20 games for Everton. He's currently on 13 appearances.
It's questionable whether the former England international would've played again this season if he decided against a move to Besiktas, considering his rumoured contract. In football, these things are never straightforward. It's not just a game of FIFA.
Alli also deserves a chance to prove himself again. Although he's taken a backward step in his career, he's ready to make a fresh start in Turkey with a full pre-season under his belt. He'll also benefit from being out of the Premier League's glaring spotlight.
"To be honest, I felt great emotions from the moment I arrived," said Alli on signing. "I can feel the passion here everywhere I travel. This is amazing stuff. I am very excited to start work as soon as possible. It will be a new challenge for me, I can't wait for it."
Perhaps we just need to lay off Alli, at least for a while longer. His career isn't over yet and there's a good chance he could revitalise it in Turkey. Ups and downs are part of the game, while there are other aspects of his career we simply don't know about.
There's definitely more than meets the eye with Alli's downfall.
