Mad for it
Noni’s thriving after swapping Spurs for PSV
WHILE Boris Johnson was struggling to secure a Brexit deal, England Under-19 star Noni Madueke knew exactly what had to be done when Britain left the European Union.
Madueke was a highly-rated 17-year-old progressing through the ranks at Tottenham when he realised that the exit door to the continent was about to be closed on the nation’s young footballers.
The route taken by Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham and Ademola Lookman to progress their careers in a top foreign league like the Bundesliga was about to be blocked.
So, despite interest from Manchester United, Barnet-born Madueke signed for PSV Eindhoven – and has never looked back.
Now aged 18, he has scored seven goals in 23 appearances for the Dutch giants and is regarded as one of the Eredivisie’s hottest prospects.
Madueke said: “It is fantastic. I am so proud of my stats.
“I will be 19 in March and I have been playing so many games.
“Also, so many of my appearances have been at a high level, like European games and the big matches in the Dutch League.
“You only have to compare the games I have played to the games my England team-mates have played for their clubs.
“I was right behind my decision to leave Tottenham at the time and to join a top side in Holland.
“And my stats are an even bigger confirmation of my good choice.”
Madueke is learning his trade playing alongside German World Cup winner Mario Gotze.
The attacking midfielder has scored six times in the Eredivisie and has the same number of assists. Only two players have hit the same numbers for
PSV at the same age – the club’s
record goalscorer Willy van der Kuylen and Brazil superstar Ronaldo. Madueke’s mates back home are monitoring his progress while they struggle to make an impact in the Premier League.
He said: “The boys are constantly asking me lots of questions about my games and my adventures here. The one question that’s most important to them is, ‘What is first-team football like?’ Most of them are playing in Under-23 teams and they don’t know first-team football at all.
“They are texting me all the time after my matches.”
Madueke has been joined in Holland by his parents and sister after PSV moved them to a village outside Eindhoven.
Madueke added: “It is a bit different from London, but it was my mum’s choice.
“It is great here, but the most important thing is that I can fulfil my dreams here.
“It is a shame more players can no longer come over. So many of that young England squad would fit in really well here.”