Maddison takes no gambles on discussing casino visit
Midfielder steers clear of controversy as he reflects on first senior cap, writes Tom Morgan in Kosovo
James Maddison is refusing to discuss his casino visit controversy while he patches up his relationship with Gareth Southgate after finally making his England debut. The Leicester City playmaker came off the bench in the second half against Montenegro to make his long-awaited first appearance, but was last night doubtful for today’s game against Kosovo because of a calf injury.
Before he was introduced for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 56th minute on Thursday, Southgate put an arm around Maddison, who had been sweating on his squad place after being photographed in a casino the day after he was pulled out of the previous England squad through illness.
The manager, who had vowed to talk to him about the furore, said prior to the Montenegro game that the 22-year-old needed to be “highperformance, low maintenance” to keep his place. The midfielder, however, appeared to remain raw on the subject, answering “no comment” to reporters when he was asked about the subject.
Coventry-born Maddison spoke instead of his delight at finally making his debut, explaining that he refused to swap shirts afterwards because of a childhood promise to his father, Gary. “You would have had to fight me to get that off me,” he said of the shirt. “I’ll get it signed by all the lads and give it to my dad. He said when I was a little kid, ‘If you ever play for England
I want your shirt’, so I have to give it to him.”
Maddison, who has played a pivotal role in the Premier League in his side’s surge to second place behind Liverpool, had been made to wait for his first cap for his country despite being called up to the squad four times.
He had been a contender to start the game at Wembley on Thursday, but Southgate opted instead for Liverpool’s Oxlade-Chamberlain in his midfield alongside the Chelsea 20-year-old Mason Mount.
The wait was worthwhile, however. “Playing for your country is the pinnacle,” Maddison said. “I’ve had to wait a little bit, been on the bench a few times, been in a few squads, and that’s made it all the more sweet, more special. I can’t begin to try and describe the satisfaction it gave me. “I’ll never forget that feeling when I was waiting to come on. That was a special feeling.
“I’m going to see my family now and there will be smiles across all of their faces … I’m sure once I’m sat in my room and I take a step back and realise I’ve just represented England, the country I grew up in, and that the dream I had as a young boy of representing the Three Lions came true tonight. So it’s a special night for myself.” Maddison praised the pathway created in breaking into the senior side from the under-21s after Southgate fielded the youngest starting XI for 60 years against Montenegro.
“There is a pathway there,” he said. “You look at the average age of the squad – I’ve just been told in the dressing room, it was really young tonight. So age isn’t really a thing now, you just have to be good enough.”
‘I’ve had to wait a little bit, been on the bench a few times, in a few squads. That’s made it all the more sweet’