Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison has said that he experienced “dark days” during his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Maddison suffered a serious knee injury in the first leg of Spurs’ Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt on May 1 last year, that he said was a partial ACL tear. The England international missed the rest of the 2024-25 season including the Europa League final victory over Manchester United in Bilbao.
The 29-year-old attempted to come back in a pre-season friendly against Newcastle United in South Korea at the beginning of August but lasted barely minutes on the pitch before he was stretchered off. He left the stadium on crutches and it was revealed he had suffered an ACL rupture in the same knee.
“In my head it goes back to the Europa League semi-final here when I got injured here because I did a partial ACL tear against Bodo/Glimt,” Maddison told a group of reporters, including The Athletic, after Spurs’ game against Leeds United on Monday. “I was told by the (external) specialist it wouldn’t need surgery and rehab. Then obviously it wasn’t strong, it didn’t recover properly and I needed the full surgery which is what happened in South Korea. So in my head it’s not really been like that it’s been longer.”
The England international was expected to miss the entire 2025-26 campaign but returned to Tottenham’s squad for last month’s 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Head coach Roberto De Zerbi was coy about the midfielder’s fitness and insisted he was mainly included for his leadership qualities.
He made his first competitive appearance in over 12 months in Spurs’ 1-1 draw with Leeds. The entire stadium applauded Maddison when he replaced Mathys Tel in the 85th minute and Leeds head coach Daniel Farke, who worked with the midfielder at Norwich City, shook his hand and embraced him at full-time.
“(It) was an amazing moment which will live with me forever that reception I got today,” Maddison said. “There have been some dark days in the last year, especially since the surgery. It has been a really tough year for me mentally but I’m at the end of the tunnel now so I can kind of look back on that with fondness because I’m as mentally strong as I can be after going through that. Physically I feel really good so the moment personally is something that will live with me forever the reception Spurs fans gave me.
“No, there was never any doubt about getting back, it was more the sadness of what I would miss and for the longevity of it. I knew once I had the surgery, these days there is so much research and work that has gone into ACL injuries. It is the most researched injury there is. It’s actually quite simple rehab. It’s just a real grind and it’s long and it’s hard.
Spurs’ draw with Leeds leaves them two points above the relegation zone with two games remaining. 18th-placed West Ham United face Newcastle at St James Park on Sunday afternoon and Tottenham face Chelsea next Tuesday. West Ham’s final game of the season is against Leeds at the same time Spurs host Everton.