Tottenham and awards do not usually mix so when James Maddison received an unwanted one, the smile was quickly wiped from his face.
The social media team at Tottenham handed out a series of prizes to players as they made their way into training, which included a gong for best hair, worst dressed and most addicted to their phone.
Emerson Royal bagged the award for worst dressed while Radu Dragusin lifted the best hair award – having voted for his flowing .
While some took their jokey awards on the chin, Maddison did not appear to be too happy about receiving his individual prize – for being the biggest diva.
After taking the award in Tottenham’s training centre foyer, he joked: “I am going to need to know who voted for that!”
And fans had fun when video emerged of him in the changing room, with some joking he was trying his best to not look like it bothered him.
Ultimately it wouldn’t have given Maddison is someone who does not let little things get to him. As he made his way past his teammates in the changing room, he said: “Sorry, lads. I’ll stop being a diva.”
When Heung-min Son asked him what he thought about the award, he replied: “Cop out,” as he sorted the laces on his boots. “Nobody wanted to vote the actual biggest divas, because they’re all divas.”
Another voice could then be heard saying: “Your reaction is giving diva.”
Maddison was then seen laughing it off, along with his teammates. This season, since signing from Leicester, he has proven to be a big hit on the pitch.
On Wednesday, he opened the scoring against Newcastle in a post-season friendly in Melbourne before Tottenham eventually lost on penalties after Alexander Isak’s equaliser.
After signing for Spurs in the summer, the 27-year-old was immediately named one of the club ‘captains’ under Ange Postecoglou.
While injuries have stunted his debut campaign, he has still contributed four goals and nine assists in 28 Premier League appearances for Tottenham.
His arrival also helped Tottenham completely change tactics from the previous season under the defensive-minded Antonio Conte to a more attacking style under Postecoglou.
Maddison’s impact helped Spurs finish fifth in the Premier League, meaning they will play in the Europa League next season.
It might have been a poor end to the year for the north London side but it is still an improvement on their eighth-finish place last campaign.
News Summary:
- Footage shows James Maddison’s reaction to getting unwanted Tottenham award from players
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