Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison has revealed how the arrival of a second set of twins helped him cope during a lengthy recovery from a serious knee injury that wiped out most of his 2025-26 campaign.
Speaking to Kelly Somers in the first episode of BBC's The Football Interview, set to air on BBC One on Saturday, 22 August, the 29-year-old described the past year as the toughest of his career after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament last August. During his rehabilitation, his partner gave birth to their second set of twins, bringing the couple's total number of children to five, all under the age of four.
Maddison said the pregnancy and subsequent birth gave him something positive to focus on while dealing with the physical and emotional toll of his injury. "I needed that positive distraction of my partner being pregnant and having to be there for her and forget about myself, even though I was going through a traumatic experience through my knee," he explained.
Life at home, he admitted, has been chaotic but rewarding. "A lot of nappies flying about, a lot of accidents at home, but it'll all be worth it," he said. "We still love it. I wouldn't change it for the world."
The midfielder also touched on the emotional difficulty of being away from football for so long, revealing that his eldest son, Leo, briefly believed he had left Tottenham altogether. "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," Maddison said. "He couldn't even remember over a year ago when he was at all the games." He added that he hopes his son will now be old enough to remember watching him play again, rather than recalling him sitting at home attached to recovery equipment.
Tottenham endured a difficult season in Maddison's absence, only confirming their Premier League survival on the final day and finishing just two points clear of the relegation zone. The playmaker admitted it was painful to watch from the sidelines. "We probably struggled a little bit for creativity and I'm watching the games thinking, 'what would I be doing there?'" he said.
Despite the club's struggles, Maddison praised the impact of new head coach Roberto de Zerbi, who took charge in March and quickly worked to lift spirits within the squad. "He's very clever. He's very tactical. He's obsessed with football, you can see that," Maddison said, adding that De Zerbi deliberately avoided overcomplicating training sessions early on, instead focusing on restoring the players' enjoyment of the game.
One of De Zerbi's first moves was organising a team dinner where alcohol was permitted, an unconventional but effective way of building unity. "We're all going to be drinking alcohol, we're all going to be having a good night," Maddison recalled the Italian telling the squad. "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."
De Zerbi also insisted Maddison remain involved with the matchday squad even before he was ready to play, telling him he could sit on the bench "in his slippers" if necessary. Maddison said he took it as a compliment and believes it played a small role in helping Tottenham avoid relegation trouble.
The England international made his long-awaited return against Leeds on 11 May but has yet to feature in pre-season. Still, he remains optimistic about the campaign ahead. "I'm working so hard to try and be fully fit and available for the majority of the season," he said. "I want just a fully fit, healthy season where I can just enjoy football... I know that I can affect games more than a lot of players in this league. So, let's just hope for that."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.