James Maddison’s dad has always known that his son was born to entertain. Go to YouTube and type in “Gaz Maddy” and you will find a user account with five published videos, all compilations of Maddison during his earlier career and all of which have tens of thousands of views. It doesn’t take a detective to work out who the face behind the “Gaz Maddy” account is.
There were times when the perception of Maddison was that the entertaining went a little too far off the pitch. He freely admits that he is a social guy who is not the type to just go home and go to bed at 8pm. He has friends outside of football and he has a social life and is not about to apologise for either because they make him the person he is. That seems entirely reasonable.
Those who matter insist that there is no distraction from Maddison bettering himself. Gareth Southgate says that maturity has never been a problem and points out that Maddison is fascinated by tactics and discussing football’s intricacies. His new manager at Tottenham Hotspur, Ange Postecoglou, famously accepts nothing less than total buy-in and Maddison was Spurs’ flagship signing this summer.
Things have started brilliantly in north London, Maddison as the creative force for a new-look attack without Harry Kane. He accepts that previous Tottenham managers provoked connotations of negative, defensive football, but in Postecoglou he has a coach who wants to be attacking, to be brave and to have freedom but also press high up the pitch. And, most of all, to entertain those who pay to watch.
“I could just see myself in that team, in that kit, in that stadium,” Maddison says. “It just fitted well for me. And they’ve always had that type of player. My dad’s favourite player when I was growing up was Gazza [Paul Gascoigne]. And that sort of midfielder who wants to be creative and entertain the fans and be a personality.”
“I want to entertain. When you start playing football as a kid, you don’t play for anything. There’s no politics, nothing like that. You play because you love playing football and you do the things you love and you become the player you become because of what you do and what you’re good at. And that will never change for me. That’s non-negotiable. That’s how I play.”
Maddison discusses Gascoigne’s skill at length, and it is clear that his father’s love has rubbed off on him. He was only born 18 months before Gascoigne’s final England cap, but when your dad has homemade compilation videos of his favourites there was always going to be an attempt at some footballing osmosis.
His own icons were Wayne Rooney at his Manchester United peak, Philippe Coutinho during his Liverpool spell and David Silva at Manchester City, and there is a theme: all three were technically magnificent, all close control and sensing opportunities before any opponent had spotted the danger. But Rooney was the standout and, perhaps unlike the other two he mentions, that goes beyond just talent.
“Before you become a professional, you are a fan of the game and I loved players who had personality, I loved watching players who had a little bit of cheekiness about them, a little bit more than your bog-standard. I’m not sure what I mean by bog-standard but I like players who show their personality when they play.
“I would probably say Rooney was the big one in my childhood. He was a bit more feisty than me – a bit harder in the tackle – but his personality and the way he came through in the way he played. And that’s what I enjoy.”
With that reputation for being an entertainer inevitably comes opprobrium from opposition supporters. Last month, he posted a clip on social media of him teasing Bournemouth supporters (who had been chanting abuse at him) by feigning to take a corner with the ball comfortably out of the quadrant. When he laughed back at them, most saw the funny side.
“It’s just little stuff like that which I enjoy doing, that keeps me hungry and stuff,” he says. “I like the theatre element of almost being the villain a little bit. That keeps me at my best. That’s how I enjoyed watching it and that’s how I enjoy playing it now.”
Maddison intends to keep on enjoying it, because he believes his greatest strength exists within that principle. If he’s smiling, his supporters are smiling. If he’s getting stick, he’s doing something right. If he has freedom, he can tie teams up in knots. Postecoglou will hope there’s another chapter for “Gaz Maddy” to compile: James Maddison | Tottenham | Goals, Assists, Skills… Trophy.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/QiUbwct
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