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James Maddison signs autographs for supporters after training with England
James Maddison signs autographs for supporters after training with England at St George’s Park National Football Centre. Photograph: Eddie Keogh for The FA/Rex/Shutterstock
James Maddison signs autographs for supporters after training with England at St George’s Park National Football Centre. Photograph: Eddie Keogh for The FA/Rex/Shutterstock

England’s James Maddison reveals passion behind retort to TV’s Clarkson

This article is more than 4 years old

Leicester player believes his fierce devotion to football – ‘I live and breathe it’ - helped his return to England squad

It is no surprise to see James Maddison back in the England squad after his displays for Leicester over the past year; many thought such a creative player would have been an asset to the senior side in summer instead of having to endure a disappointingly early exit from the European Under-21 Championship in Italy.

The 22-year-old has settled so smoothly into the Premier League after his £20m move from Norwich it is easy to forget he had to wait more than a year for his debut at Carrow Road, first being loaned back to Coventry and then opting for a spell at Aberdeen to get the game time he felt he needed.

Maddison seems all set to become an England regular now, with everyone except Jeremy Clarkson singing his praises and a move to join Harry Maguire at Manchester United being confidently predicted for the future. Yet until Daniel Farke took over at Norwich his potential was in danger of going unnoticed.

“I’m a lad who’s always played: when I went to Norwich it came as a bit of a shock that I couldn’t get the minutes I wanted,” he says. “I’d been on the bench at Coventry at age 16, so I wasn’t expecting to be left out of the squad.

“That’s why I went out on loan, but when I came back I still might not have got a chance without a new manager coming in. That was like a fresh slate for everyone and I obviously impressed him. He put me in on the first day of the season and I never looked back.

“I’m very happy with the way things have gone since but I owe a lot to Daniel and Norwich. Their result is always the first one I check and I’m pleased to see they have made a good start in the Premier League with [Teemu] Pukki in great form up top.”

Leicester have made a good start, too, and might have been even closer to Liverpool and Manchester City but for Maddison missing a chance to turn a draw at Chelsea into a win. That prompted Chelsea supporter Clarkson to suggest via on Twitter that Maddison cared more about his hairstyle than his football preparation, which earned the television presenter a stinging like‑for-like reply. “Stick to cars, mate,” Maddison tweeted. “Can count on one hand how many trims you’ve got left. #thin.”

As many others were quick to point out on social media, Maddison was adjudged to have been man of the match in the game at Stamford Bridge, though he denies the Grand Tour presenter had got under his skin. “I wasn’t narked, to be honest, it was just a light-hearted joke,” he says.

“I used to watch Clarkson on television and I thought it was funny him commenting about my hair, though he couldn’t have been more wrong about the amount of time I spend practising my football.

“My life is football, I live and breathe football. If anything I sometimes need to take a step away from football. I love the game, I love watching it, playing it and talking about it. I’m still out on the training ground at 1pm when training has finished at 11.30. I’ve done that since a young age and it’s got me to where I am now, so I haven’t changed. Anyone who knows me will tell you I’ve always been like that.

“I’ve played in League One, Scotland, the Championship and the Premier League, so I’ve worked my way up. I’m playing in the best league in the world at the minute so I’m not going to take anything for granted.”

Best league in the world or not, England Under-21s were taught a humbling lesson in June, when they failed to win a game and had to go home after the group stage. The FA’s technical director, Les Reed, has just labelled Aidy Boothroyd’s players arrogant, though Maddison thinks overconfident might be a better term. “We went into the tournament trying to win it and we were out after two games,” he says.

“Looking back we might think we were overconfident, though it didn’t seem like that at the time because we worked very hard. We probably did think we were one of the best teams in the tournament and with the talent we had, I don’t feel stupid saying that. But we had a player sent off in the first match then lost to Romania in a must-win game. I don’t think I’ve ever had a worse feeling in football, to be honest, but as Gareth Southgate keeps saying, you have to learn from experiences like that.

“What did I learn? That tournament football is different. It’s important to think about game management, because you don’t get second chances.”

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