James Maddison had the perfect response to Roy Keane’s pre-match criticism as he found the net against Manchester United earlier this month. The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder’s cheeky celebration made headlines, but Keane has now doubled down on his original stance.
Banter and criticism are an inevitable part of football, adding to the drama of the beautiful game. In the past week, James Maddison and Roy Keane have engaged in a subtle back-and-forth.
It all began when Keane, speaking ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s clash against Manchester United, claimed that Maddison does not step up in big games.
Maddison, however, wasted no time in responding. The midfielder scored the only goal of the game as Tottenham secured a crucial win at Old Trafford. His celebration was pointed—placing his hands on his lips in a clear message to those who had doubted him.
Roy Keane stands by his criticism of James Maddison
Speaking on the latest episode of The Overlap podcast, Keane acknowledged Maddison’s response but refused to back down from his initial claim.
“Good on him, yeah, absolutely. No problem. I still go to what I said—I do not think he does enough of that—but when he scores, I was at home with my cup of tea and I went, ‘Good on you!’ No problem.
“If people have a go at you, you answer them back. I was hoping he was going to do the same the other day, but he was a sub against Ipswich, so… But he got an assist against Ipswich, to be fair.”
Despite praising Maddison’s ability to react to criticism, Keane maintained that his concern was not about the player’s talent but rather his consistency at the highest level.
The challenge for Maddison at Tottenham now
Keane is entitled to his opinion, but Maddison responded in the best way possible—by scoring and silencing his critics. However, the Irishman’s main argument remains valid: consistency separates the top players from the rest.
The best footballers in the world deliver in big moments time and again. That is the challenge now facing Maddison, who, as Tottenham’s vice-captain, must prove he can influence games regularly.
With Spurs aiming for Europa League success, the 28-year-old has the perfect stage to show he can deliver when it matters most. The assignment for Maddison is simple: bring the Europa League trophy to Tottenham Hotspur and silence your critics.