Maddison: Second set of twins a welcome distraction during ACL recovery
Tottenham midfielder James Maddison told Kelly Somers on the first episode of The Football Interview, broadcast on BBC One on Saturday, 22 August, that his partner giving birth to their second set of twins provided a positive distraction while he recovered from a serious knee injury.
The Football Interview is being shown on BBC One at 12:45 every Saturday during the Premier League season and will also be available on BBC iPlayer, BBC Football YouTube and the BBC Sport website and app. Maddison, 29, missed most of the 2025-26 season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament last August and called the period the "toughest year of his life" while crediting his family for helping him through.
Maddison said he and his partner had been "in the trenches" at home with five children aged four and under during his recovery and described the practical realities of life with a large young family: "A lot of nappies flying about, a lot of accidents at home, but it'll all be worth it," adding, "We still love it. I wouldn't change it for the world."
He recounted the personal impact of his absence on his eldest child, saying that his son Leo at one point assumed he had left Spurs and that "I missed a year of football, and a year in a child's life - from three and a half to four and a half - it's obviously massive. He couldn't even remember over a year ago when he was at all the games." After being sidelined for 375 days, Maddison made his return against Leeds on 11 May.
Maddison said it was difficult to watch Tottenham struggle while he was injured, noting the club "probably struggled a little bit for creativity and I'm watching the games thinking, 'what would I be doing there?'" Spurs ultimately secured survival on the final day and finished two points above the relegation zone.
He praised new head coach Roberto de Zerbi for improving the mood after taking charge in March, saying: "He's very clever. He's very tactical. He's obsessed with football, you can see that," and that the coach initially "didn't want to make it too complicated. He just wanted us to get the love back for playing football." Maddison described a team meal organised by De Zerbi, quoting the coach: "We're all going to be drinking alcohol, we're all going to be having a good night." He added, "He wanted us to have a night where we all just relax. That feeling that we got made everyone feel more knitted together, straight away."
On his own role around the squad while regaining fitness, Maddison said: "I was almost like, 'I'm not ready to play yet, boss'." He recounted De Zerbi telling him he could "come on the bench in my slippers if I want," and said, "I took that as a massive compliment and just acted as if I was part of the bench, part of the team. I'm not saying that's the reason why, but we managed to steer clear of the danger, which was a good feeling."
Maddison confirmed he has not been risked in pre-season so far and set out his immediate objective: "I'm working so hard to try and be fully fit and available for the majority of the season," adding, "I want just a fully fit, healthy season where I can just enjoy football. Because if I'm fully fit and I'm healthy, then I know what I'm capable of. And I know that I can affect games more than a lot of players in this league. So, let's just hope for that."
