James Daniel Maddison (born 23 November 1996) is an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as an
attacking midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for club
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
and the
England national team.
Maddison began his career with
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...
before joining
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
in 2016. He spent the 2016–17 season on
loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...
at
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...
club
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
. In his first season back at Norwich, Maddison was named in the Championship
PFA Team of the Year and
EFL Team of the Season. He joined Premier League club Leicester City in 2018.
Maddison was capped by
England at under-21 level from 2017 to 2019, and made his debut for the senior team in 2019. He was part of the
2022 FIFA World Cup squad.
Early life
Maddison was born and raised in
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
, West Midlands. He has Irish ancestry through a grandparent.
Club career
Coventry City
Maddison joined
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...
's youth team, and was included in the first-team squad in the
2013–14 season, though did not make an appearance. He made his debut in August 2014, coming on as a
substitute in a 2–1
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
defeat to
Cardiff City. Maddison made his league debut, again as a substitute, in a 3–1 home loss against
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
and his first league start in the following game, against
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
. He scored his first league goal in the game, with a
free kick
A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play.
Association football
In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offe ...
in the first half, as the Sky Blues lost the game 4–1.
In November 2014, Maddison signed his first professional contract, lasting three-and-a-half years, but missed much of the rest of the
2014–15 season after being sent off during a Boxing Day defeat to
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
and then picking up a back injury.
Norwich City
Maddison signed for
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
club
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
on 1 February 2016 on a three-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee, but was immediately
loaned back to Coventry City for the remainder of the
2015–16 season.
Maddison made his first team debut for Norwich in an
EFL Cup tie against his former club Coventry on 23 August 2016. On 31 August 2016, Maddison was loaned to
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...
club
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
for the first part of the
2016–17 season. He made his debut as a substitute against
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team currently competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional ...
, then started and scored in the next match in a 3–1 win against
Dundee. He followed this with a last-minute winner against
Rangers on 25 September.
After returning from his loan spell at Aberdeen, Maddison made his long-awaited league debut for Norwich on 17 April 2017, coming on as a substitute in the second half and scoring in a 3–1 win against
Preston North End at Deepdale. Maddison signed a new four-year contract in June. With the arrival of new coach
Daniel Farke, Maddison was given regular starts in the team during the
2017–18 season and was named Norwich City's
Player of the Season at the end of the campaign,
as well as receiving a nomination for the EFL Championship Young Player of the Season award.
Leicester City
![James Maddison](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/James_Maddison.jpg)
Maddison signed for Premier League club
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
on 20 June 2018, on a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee thought to be around £20 million. He scored his first goal in the Premier League on 18 August in a 2–0 win against
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
. He later followed up his impressive start for the club with back-to-back Premier League goals, from set-pieces, against
AFC Bournemouth and
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
, respectively. On 29 July 2020, he agreed a new four-year contract with Leicester.
On 27 September 2020, Maddison scored a curler outside the box in a 5–2 win against
Manchester City in the league which was later voted as
Premier League Goal of the Month.
On 11 April 2021, Maddison was one of three players dropped from Leicester's squad for the game against
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
after breaching
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
protocols.
International career
Maddison was included in an
England under-21 squad in March 2016,
but was unable to play due to injury. He received his first call-up to the England under-21 team in November 2017,
[ and made his debut against ]Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
in a 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier. He received his first call-up to the senior team in October 2018 for the UEFA Nations League
The UEFA Nations League is a biennial international football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body.
The first tournament began in September 2018. The ...
matches against Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
and Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
.
On 27 May 2019, Maddison was included in England's 23-man squad for the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and scored his first goal for his country during a 3–3 draw with Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
at the San Marino Stadium on 24 June.
Maddison withdrew from the senior squad in October 2019 due to illness. He was later seen visiting a casino, although his conduct was defended by club manager Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Leicester City.
Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed ...
. Maddison made his debut for England on 14 November when he came on for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 56th minute of a 7–0 win over Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
The UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from March 2019 to November 2020 to determine the 24 UEFA member men's national teams that advanced to the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament, played across Europ ...
.
After a three-year absence, he was announced as part of the 26-man England squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, he did not make any appearance in the tournament.
Personal life
Maddison and his partner, Kennedy Alexa, have a son who was born in July 2021.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Leicester City
*FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
: 2020–21
* FA Community Shield: 2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
Individual
* EFL Young Player of the Month: January 2018
* PFA Team of the Year: 2017–18 Championship
* Norwich City Player of the Season: 2017–18[
* Leicester City Player of the Year: 2021–22
* EFL Team of the Season: 2017–18
* Premier League Goal of the Month: September 2020]
References
External links
Profile
at the Leicester City F.C. website
Profile
at the Football Association website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maddison, James
1996 births
Living people
Footballers from Coventry
English footballers
Association football midfielders
Coventry City F.C. players
Norwich City F.C. players
Aberdeen F.C. players
Leicester City F.C. players
English Football League players
Scottish Professional Football League players
Premier League players
FA Cup Final players
England under-21 international footballers
England international footballers
2022 FIFA World Cup players
English people of Irish descent