Of all the memorable moments England football team enjoyed during their summer sojourn to the World Cup semi-finals, the one that changed Dele Alli the most came in the back of a taxi.

Travelling from the team’s base in Repino to a St Petersburg hospital the day after England’s opening match against Tunisia, the 22-year-old could have been forgiven for fearing the worst.

Dele had been substituted 10 minutes prior to Harry Kane’s stoppage-time winner, having sustained a thigh strain during the first half.

He took the 45-minute journey into Russia’s second city for a scan which would determine his fate.

“As I got out, the taxi driver gave me a bracelet and said it was good luck,” he explained. The scan revealed there was no tear, and although the Tottenham midfielder missed two matches and required time to get up to speed, the diagnosis ultimately enabled him to play a full part in the knockout stages.

“So I’ve kept it,” he says. “I don’t wear it but I keep it in my washbag.”

The bracelet joins a lengthy list of superstitions: an eight-minute ice-bath on the eve of a game; a small piece of tape placed on his left knee unrelated to any injury; and wearing the same shinpads since he was 11.

With that bracelet tucked away in his luggage, Dele headed for St George’s Park as England reconvened last night to begin discussing and reviewing the wider impact of their remarkable run to the last four of the World Cup.

These first squad get-togethers following a tournament have habitually been sombre affairs. Manager Gareth Southgate said last Thursday: “It’s been a while since we’ve come out of a tournament without needing a root-and-branch review.”

None was more miserable than two years ago, when England had to face up to a rigorous post-mortem of Euro 2016 and one of the most humiliating defeats in the country’s history.

“It’ll be good to see all of the boys again,” Dele tells Standard Sport. “Last time after the Euros, you didn’t really want to look into it too much, but we knew we had to talk about the last-16 defeat to Iceland to get over it.

“We had to go through the pain again, open up some wounds and deal with them. This time, there are a lot of positives to take, so it should be fun to look back on. I’m sure it’ll feel completely different, as players now are excited about what is possible.

“Hopefully, for the fans, the way the country came together, they will stick by us over the next two years, into the next tournament and beyond. Their support was amazing. It really did help the team mentally. When you see the things happening back home, it really does make you happy and you enjoy your time more while you are there.

“Looking forward, we have to keep believing in ourselves and not get carried away because there are some very good teams out there.

“We have to be ready to come up against anyone and play as well as we now know we can.”

The rise of Dele Alli 19 show all The rise of Dele Alli 1/19 The defining games of Dele Alli's career Steve Bardens/Getty Images 2/19 MK Dons 4 Man United 0 - 26 August 2014 The then 18-year-old prospect produced an inspired display to dominate Louis van Gaal's side in the second round of the Capital One Cup.



Alli's secret was out; everyone sat up and took notice. Getty Images 3/19 Leicester 1 Tottenham 1 - 22 August 2015 Alli was not expected to feature regularly for Spurs during his debut season at the club but immediately proved his worth with a late header to salvage a point against Claudio Ranieri's side. Getty Images 4/19 Sunderland 0 Tottenham 1 - 13 September 2015 Ryan Mason grabbed the headlines, courtesy of a late winner, but Alli's first Premier League start highlighted the impression he had made on Mauricio Pochettino over a short period of time in the early stages of the season.



He didn't look back. Getty Images 5/19 England 2 France 0 - 17 November 2015 Alli marked his first senior international start with a superb long-range strike, albeit via a slight deflection on an emotional night at Wembley in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks. Getty Images 6/19 Crystal Palace 1 Tottenham 3 - 23 January 2016 Tottenham had their backs to the wall as the closing stages approached at Selhurst Park but Alli came up with a strike of enormous quality to drag his side over the line.



The goal of the season effort had timing, technique and audaciousness all rolled into one.



This was surely the moment any remaining doubters were silenced. Getty Images 7/19 Fiorentina 1 Tottenham 1 - 18 February 2016 Alli's fiery streak threatened to boil over in Florence after a petulant kick out at Nenad Tomovic.



The 19-year-old avoided a red card and went on to produce an impressive display.



The midfielder was defiant after the game and insisted he didn't want to tame his "aggressive streak." Getty Images 8/19 Germany 2 England 3 - 26 March 2016 Comparisons with Bryan Robson dominated the pre-match build up and Alli delivered with a magnificent display in Berlin as the Three Lions staged a late fightback to beat the old enemy.



Alli ran the show against the World Champions' midfield, which included Toni Kroos and Mesut Ozil, to cement his place in the starting XI. Getty Images 9/19 Stoke 0 Tottenham 4 - 18 April 2016 Alli was an integral figure as Spurs tore Mark Hughes's side apart to cut Leicester's lead at the top of the Premier League table.



Alli scored the first brace of his Tottenham career and really should have been celebrated a hat-trick, only to spurn a glorious late opportunity. AFP/Getty Images 10/19 Tottenham 1 West Brom 1 - 25 April 2016 Alli collected his PFA Player of the Year award prior to kick off but it turned out to be a sour occasion for Spurs.



Mauricio Pochettino's side squandered two vital points - which dealt their title ambitions a huge blow - and Alli was involved in a scuffle with Claudio Yacob.



Alli was retrospectively banned for violent conduct, bringing his debut season in the top flight to a premature end. AFP/Getty Images 11/19 Tottenham 2 Manchester City 0 - 2 October 2016 Alli helped inspire Spurs towards an important victory over Pep Guardiola's men, ending City's unbeaten record and confirming that they north Londoners will be title contenders again this term.



Alli - like Spurs - does not appear to be going anywhere. Getty Images 12/19 Tottenham 5 Swansea 0 - 3 December 2016 Alli wouldn’t find the net in this one, but the England international received widespread criticism for an apparent dive in the first half, that set Spurs on their way to a romping victory. Getty Images 13/19 Tottenham 2 Chelsea 0 - 5 January 2017 His brace at the Lane ended Chelsea’s 13-match winning run as Alli set a new Premier League record, becoming the first midfielder to score two goals in three consecutive matches (Southampton, Watford, Chelsea). Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images 14/19 Tottenham 2 Arsenal 0 - 30 April 2017 Fresh from winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award for the second successive season, Alli scored in the final north London derby to be staged at White Hart Lane. AFP/Getty Images 15/19 England 2 Slovakia 1 - 4 September 2017 Alli was caught on camera raising his middle finger in what appeared to be the direction of the referee, though the midfielder was not punished at the time. He has since claimed it was aimed at Kyle Walker. Rex Features 16/19 Tottenham 3 Real Madrid 1 - 1 November 2017 Dele Alli returned from a three-game European ban to score twice against Real Madrid in the Champions League at Wembley AFP/Getty Images 17/19 Chelsea 1 Tottenham 3 - 1 April 2018 Dele Alli scored twice as Tottenham recorded their first victory at Stamford Bridge for 28 years. Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images 18/19 Sweden 0 England 2 July 7 2018 Dele Alli scores in England's 2-0 win as they reached the World Cup semi-finals. AP 19/19 Tottenham 2 Watford 2 September 26 2018 Dele Alli scores on his return to Stadium MK, with Spurs forced to play their League Cup game their due to delays with their new stadium. David Rogers/Getty Images 1/19 The defining games of Dele Alli's career Steve Bardens/Getty Images 2/19 MK Dons 4 Man United 0 - 26 August 2014 The then 18-year-old prospect produced an inspired display to dominate Louis van Gaal's side in the second round of the Capital One Cup.



Alli's secret was out; everyone sat up and took notice. Getty Images 3/19 Leicester 1 Tottenham 1 - 22 August 2015 Alli was not expected to feature regularly for Spurs during his debut season at the club but immediately proved his worth with a late header to salvage a point against Claudio Ranieri's side. Getty Images 4/19 Sunderland 0 Tottenham 1 - 13 September 2015 Ryan Mason grabbed the headlines, courtesy of a late winner, but Alli's first Premier League start highlighted the impression he had made on Mauricio Pochettino over a short period of time in the early stages of the season.



He didn't look back. Getty Images 5/19 England 2 France 0 - 17 November 2015 Alli marked his first senior international start with a superb long-range strike, albeit via a slight deflection on an emotional night at Wembley in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks. Getty Images 6/19 Crystal Palace 1 Tottenham 3 - 23 January 2016 Tottenham had their backs to the wall as the closing stages approached at Selhurst Park but Alli came up with a strike of enormous quality to drag his side over the line.



The goal of the season effort had timing, technique and audaciousness all rolled into one.



This was surely the moment any remaining doubters were silenced. Getty Images 7/19 Fiorentina 1 Tottenham 1 - 18 February 2016 Alli's fiery streak threatened to boil over in Florence after a petulant kick out at Nenad Tomovic.



The 19-year-old avoided a red card and went on to produce an impressive display.



The midfielder was defiant after the game and insisted he didn't want to tame his "aggressive streak." Getty Images 8/19 Germany 2 England 3 - 26 March 2016 Comparisons with Bryan Robson dominated the pre-match build up and Alli delivered with a magnificent display in Berlin as the Three Lions staged a late fightback to beat the old enemy.



Alli ran the show against the World Champions' midfield, which included Toni Kroos and Mesut Ozil, to cement his place in the starting XI. Getty Images 9/19 Stoke 0 Tottenham 4 - 18 April 2016 Alli was an integral figure as Spurs tore Mark Hughes's side apart to cut Leicester's lead at the top of the Premier League table.



Alli scored the first brace of his Tottenham career and really should have been celebrated a hat-trick, only to spurn a glorious late opportunity. AFP/Getty Images 10/19 Tottenham 1 West Brom 1 - 25 April 2016 Alli collected his PFA Player of the Year award prior to kick off but it turned out to be a sour occasion for Spurs.



Mauricio Pochettino's side squandered two vital points - which dealt their title ambitions a huge blow - and Alli was involved in a scuffle with Claudio Yacob.



Alli was retrospectively banned for violent conduct, bringing his debut season in the top flight to a premature end. AFP/Getty Images 11/19 Tottenham 2 Manchester City 0 - 2 October 2016 Alli helped inspire Spurs towards an important victory over Pep Guardiola's men, ending City's unbeaten record and confirming that they north Londoners will be title contenders again this term.



Alli - like Spurs - does not appear to be going anywhere. Getty Images 12/19 Tottenham 5 Swansea 0 - 3 December 2016 Alli wouldn’t find the net in this one, but the England international received widespread criticism for an apparent dive in the first half, that set Spurs on their way to a romping victory. Getty Images 13/19 Tottenham 2 Chelsea 0 - 5 January 2017 His brace at the Lane ended Chelsea’s 13-match winning run as Alli set a new Premier League record, becoming the first midfielder to score two goals in three consecutive matches (Southampton, Watford, Chelsea). Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images 14/19 Tottenham 2 Arsenal 0 - 30 April 2017 Fresh from winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award for the second successive season, Alli scored in the final north London derby to be staged at White Hart Lane. AFP/Getty Images 15/19 England 2 Slovakia 1 - 4 September 2017 Alli was caught on camera raising his middle finger in what appeared to be the direction of the referee, though the midfielder was not punished at the time. He has since claimed it was aimed at Kyle Walker. Rex Features 16/19 Tottenham 3 Real Madrid 1 - 1 November 2017 Dele Alli returned from a three-game European ban to score twice against Real Madrid in the Champions League at Wembley AFP/Getty Images 17/19 Chelsea 1 Tottenham 3 - 1 April 2018 Dele Alli scored twice as Tottenham recorded their first victory at Stamford Bridge for 28 years. Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images 18/19 Sweden 0 England 2 July 7 2018 Dele Alli scores in England's 2-0 win as they reached the World Cup semi-finals. AP 19/19 Tottenham 2 Watford 2 September 26 2018 Dele Alli scores on his return to Stadium MK, with Spurs forced to play their League Cup game their due to delays with their new stadium. David Rogers/Getty Images

That unity between fans and players was adeptly rekindled by Southgate and his players most obviously via their performances, but also through a greater transparency across all media platforms.

Dele has since continued that trend with the ‘Dele Challenge ’, an unusual hand gesture which has since gone viral - even before he revealed an updated version a fortnight or so later - but whose origin has gone unexplained, until now.

“When we were at the World Cup, there were a few days when the families could come to the hotel,” he says. “One afternoon, Jamie Vardy’s kids were around and they asked me if I could do it. I could but then I watched the other boys struggling, it was funny.

“I heard afterwards that Jesse Lingard’s brother had showed them how to do it, so I don’t actually know where it came from and who made it up, but when I was on holiday with my friends we all kept doing it, so I shared it. I didn’t think it was going to go as mad as it did. It’s just a bit of fun.”

It is yet another sign of how settled Dele is for club, country and even sponsors, unfazed as he was here by the remarkable sight of a floating football pitch - the Creator Dock - housed on the Thames to promote his adidas Team Mode Predator boots.

Spurs head into the international break having surrendered their perfect start to the Premier League season, following Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Watford, but they hope the result which proves of greater significance in the long-term came six days earlier, when beating Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Title talk continues to centre on Manchester City, given their record-breaking form of last term, and Liverpool, after a considerable financial outlay building upon one of the most potent attacks in the division. But Dele insists he is happy if Tottenham continue to operate under the radar.

“No matter what people are talking about, we have belief in ourselves,” he says. “There are some great sides out there, but we have to focus on us. We don’t worry about what anyone else says.

“We’ll keep trying to get as many points as we can and if nobody else is talking about us as title contenders, it doesn’t bother me.

“It is a statement that we can win at places like United. We had belief we could do it. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way or something happens - I remember Kyle Walker’s own goal there when we played really well and lost [1-0, in 2015] - but this year it all came together. We didn’t start very well but stayed in the game, showed great character and were clinical in the second half.

“We want to keep moving forward. We have got a great side and we are still fighting every day in training to improve.”

With the odd lucky charm to help them along the way.

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