Tottenham: James Maddison lifts lid on knee injury nightmare after long-awaited comeback | OneFootball

Forward revealed he endured “dark days” while recovering from ACL surgery

James Maddison said the reception he received from Tottenham’s supporters will live with him forever as he made his long-awaited comeback from injury against Leeds on Monday night.

Maddison came off the bench late in Spurs’ 1-1 draw with Leeds on Monday night to make his first competitive appearance in over a year.

The 29-year-old suffered a knee injury during Spurs’ Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt in May 2025 and was ruled out for the rest of the season as Ange Postecoglou’s side went on to seal the title in Bilbao.

Maddison attempted to return to action against Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly in South Korea, but was stretchered off the pitch after rupturing his ACL in the same knee.

He said: “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. I was told by the [external] specialist it wouldn’t need surgery and rehab.

James Maddison appeared emotional as he made his long-awaited return to the pitch

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"Then obviously it wasn’t strong, it didn’t recover properly, and I needed the full surgery, which is what happened in South Korea.”

Maddison went on to admit that he endured “dark days” as he worked his way back to fitness, but added that the long-awaited comeback is a moment he will never forget.

"But that being said, that was still an amazing moment which will live with me forever, that reception I got today,” Maddison continued.

“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 after going through that.

Back in the fold: James Maddison

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“Physically, I feel really good, so the moment personally is something that will live with me forever, the reception Spurs fans gave me."

Having played slightly longer than he expected last night, Maddison added he felt ready to help the team push towards safety.

"Definitely [it's tough] because you watch through a lens of 'what would I be doing? What could I do differently?'

“It’s been a tough season for Tottenham. Really tough for the fans, really tough for the players. Lots of manager changes. It's been a season to forget, really. Not being able to affect it and help the club has been difficult.

"Once I was out there and the first 30 seconds to a minute had gone by, it was like 'now I’m on the pitch, we need to get a winner here'. The nice moment had gone. It was almost straight down to business.

"I would rather be safe and come on and enjoy and build up slowly, but that's not the situation we are in. When you are on the pitch, you forget about anything else anyway when the adrenaline kicks in. When you get your first touch, it's just another game, and I felt really good."