James Maddison has opened up on missing the Europa League final but admits he still feels part of Tottenham’s historic European triumph.
Without a doubt, any Tottenham Hotspur fan would have taken the opportunity to win a trophy at the start of the season, given their 17-year wait for one.
Spurs have now ended that long-standing drought, doing so in a way only Tottenham could – lifting silverware but at the expense of their Premier League campaign, one that left fans in agony for most of the season.
Tottenham are now champions of Europe after edging past Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League final, a result that has secured their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League despite sitting 17th in the Premier League table.
James Maddison reflects on Tottenham’s Europa League win
James Maddison did play a pivotal role in Tottenham’s Europa League success this season, finding the net against Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of the semi-final, winning a penalty against Eintracht Frankfurt in the second leg of the quarter-final, scoring again in the first leg of that tie, and notching another goal in the return leg against AZ Alkmaar in the round of 16.
However, the England international was unable to feature in the final after suffering a knee injury that has kept him sidelined for the last three months.
When asked how it felt to miss the final but still be part of the squad, Maddison responded with a cheeky dig at Chelsea’s John Terry, saying to TNT Sports: “They said I had to put the kit on to get a medal! I did not want to do a John Terry! when he went in the full kit and his shin pads.”
MORE SPURS STORIES
“But what a special feeling. Winning makes [the season] all alright – the pain of not being able to play is not being able to help the team.
“If we win anyway, I know I played a big part in the lead up, I know I deserve this just as much as all of us. But it was not being able to affect it that affected me the most.”
Maddison’s pride underlines bigger moment for Spurs
With the final now won and a major trophy finally back in the cabinet, the attention will inevitably turn to how Tottenham can build on this success, though Maddison refused to delve into future plans.
When asked how Spurs intend to build from here going into next season, he said: “Now is not the time to be thinking about that, it is a brilliant achievement and one of the ways you can qualify for the Champions League.
“But it is more winning the trophy and giving these fans something to shout about because they have had years of years of pain and now they can enjoy it.” When asked how the players would mark the occasion, he said: “Plenty of beer.”