Millenic Alli

Millenic Alli's path to the Portsmouth front line ran through non-league football rather than an academy fast-track. Born in Dublin, he left Bury's youth setup and spent his early adult years at South Shields, with a loan at Workington, before a spell at Ashton United. It was only after moving up through Stockport County that his career gathered pace: at FC Halifax Town he scored 16 goals in 54 league appearances across two seasons, numbers that persuaded Exeter City to sign him in January 2024.

At Exeter, Alli turned it on in the 2024–25 campaign, scoring 13 goals in 35 league appearances as the club secured promotion. That form prompted Luton Town to pay a reported £1.5 million for him in January 2025. He never featured for Luton on the pitch that mattered most to the club that season, though: while on loan at Portsmouth, Alli missed out on the 2025–26 EFL Trophy final, in which his parent club beat Stockport County 3–1 at Wembley.

His rise was recognised internationally too. Alli received his first call-up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad in March 2026, and made his debut two months later, coming on as a substitute for Adam Idah in a 5–0 friendly win over Grenada.