Eric Dier says he wish he had done more for Dele Alli as he reveals his pain at watching his good friend's extremely emotional interview.
Alli spoke candidly to Gary Neville on 'The Overlap', revealing he was sexually abused aged six, sold drugs at eight and became addicted to sleeping pills which saw him enter rehab.
The football community threw their support behind the 27-year-old following his honest interview.
In his chat with the former Manchester United captain, Alli touched on his support network which consisted of the likes of Harry Kane and Dier, who remains close with the player after being together at Tottenham.
Advert
Dier, 29, has since shared his thoughts on Alli's revelations, saying he wish he had done more.
"It was difficult to watch, upsetting," he told SunSport.
"My overwhelming feeling is probably that I’m upset that I didn’t do more."
Dier, who was once shown around Milton Keynes by Alli, wasn't aware of his shocking upbringing.
Asked if he knew about Alli's experiences growing up, he replied: "No, I wasn’t aware of it.
"There were things that I was and wasn’t aware of.
"A long time ago, I went to Milton Keynes with him and he showed me around where he grew up.
"He showed me everything so I was aware of the frame of the picture... but not the picture itself."
Dier, though, knew Alli was in rehab as he reached out to him over his wedding, explaining what kind of a person he is in a touching tribute.
"When he was in rehab - and I knew he was in rehab - I spoke to him a few times and I messaged him, because I was having my wedding," he added.
"I said to him, 'I don’t know if you’re going to make it' (to the wedding) because obviously I knew what he was going through.
"And the first thing was that he was insulted that I’d asked him if he was going to be there.
"It was like it was unimaginable that he wasn’t going to be there, even though everything he was going through. That’s the type of person he is, you know?
"Dele has a heart of gold, he really does. I’m upset with myself and disappointed with myself that I didn’t do more.
"He’s a great friend to me as well, it’s not all one way."
Nasir Jabbar