We’ve seen a little bit here and there from James Maddison since he tore his ACL in August. Emotional doesn’t begin to describe it. Madders’ injury took place in Spurs’ preseason match against Newcastle in Seoul in what ended up being Son Heung-Min’s last appearance at the club before his departure for LAFC, and the Tottenham Hotspur vice captain is set to miss the majority of the 2025-26 season after having surgery.
At the time, Madders called the injury “bad” and “a brutal moment.” He’s 28 years old, in his footballing prime, and an injury like this not only removes one of the teams’ best players from the squad but also could have long tail effects in what is left of Maddison’s career.
This evening, Maddison posted a new video on his personal YouTube channel, an hour long look at his recovery, starting three days after his injury and proceeding through surgery and his rehabilitation to his three week checkup with his orthopedic surgeon in early September. While there are some looks at his incisions it’s not at all graphic [stares intently at Dejan Kulusevski] but is honest and unflinching in detailing what it’s like to recover from an injury like what he sustained. And it’s a fascinating watch.
I didn’t think I was going to watch the entire video in one sitting, but if I’m honest, it was an incredibly compelling video. Here are some of my takeaways from viewing.
