AC Milan defender Kyle Walker found himself in an unusual position last month, stepping in to defend former team-mate Dele Alli when he made his long-awaited return to professional football for Como.
The former Tottenham and England team-mates were briefly reunited on the field, with Dele coming on as a substitute in the 81st minute. It marked his first competitive appearance in over two years, having last played in February 2023 while on loan at Besiktas from Everton.
However, his comeback was abruptly cut short when he received a red card during stoppage time for a tackle on Milan’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Initially shown a yellow, the booking was upgraded to red following a VAR review. But Walker, 34, was quick to step in, appealing to the referee on Dele’s behalf.
“I think my heart kicked in. Anyone else, I would have just let them get sent off,” Walker admitted. @But with Dele, I know how hard he’s worked to get his chance at Como. It’s a good club for him to try and revive his career.
“We wanted 10 men, but for the personal relationship that I have with Dele, for the years I’ve known Dele, for what he’s been through – which he’s publicly said and I think he’s been very strong and open about that – to then get sent off for not really a cynical challenge, he was a little bit hard done by.”
Dele Alli was sent off after receiving a red card just nine minutes into his first professional appearance in two years.
Even Kyle Walker was pleading with the ref to keep the initial yellow and to not change it to a red 💔 pic.twitter.com/B6hWGYeHks
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 15, 2025
Dele has openly shared his struggles in recent years, including past sexual abuse, addiction to sleeping pills, and mental health challenges.
During the same interview, Walker discussed his international journey as he edges closer to a historic 100 caps for England, having recently featured in World Cup qualifiers against Latvia and Albania.
“The 100 is getting closer, which is a massive objective,” Walker added. “I look back at when I first started with [Fabio] Capello. To think that all them years ago, I said in my head that I wanted to get to 25 caps. Then you surpass 25 caps and you’re looking for the 50.”
If he reaches the century mark, Walker would join a rare club. To date, Ashley Cole remains the only Black male footballer to have reached 100 caps for the England senior team, with 107 appearances.
