Yahoo News What James Maddison did in Spurs celebration to show Leicester City respect on 'amazing' return
James Maddison has thanked the Leicester City fans who applauded him on his “amazing” return to the King Power Stadium.
In Monday night's 1-1 draw, Maddison was making his first appearance at the ground since leaving for Spurs in a £40m move last summer. He spent five years at City, and while those including plenty of highs and some exceptional performances, it ended in relegation to the Championship.
When the team were read out pre-match, Maddison’s name was met with a mixture of boos and applause, while his withdrawal from the game was met with cheers before turning to applause when the attacking midfielder clapped all four corners of the stadium. After the match, Maddison also did a lap of the ground to thank City supporters.
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He said City “will always be special” to him and that perhaps showed in his celebration for Tottenham’s goal. Pedro Porro met Maddison’s cross to head in the opener and the Spanish full-back wanted to join the England international in his trademark dart-throwing celebration. However, Maddison appeared to decline, and high-fived his team-mate instead.
On Tuesday, Maddison wrote on social media: “Premier League is back. Not the result we wanted but positives to take and important we stay in a good mindset with a long season ahead.
“Amazing feeling being back at the King Power Stadium. Thank you for the reception from those who clapped my name, honestly means a lot to me and my family because Leicester is, and always will be, special to me. Good luck for the season.”
Before the match, Maddison also played his part in the tributes to Craig Shakespeare. The former City boss and title-winning assistant manager died earlier this month, and City showed their appreciation with a minute’s applause and a banner in the East Stand. Before the game, Maddison and Jamie Vardy each laid a bouquet of flowers on the touchline, while two balls sat in the centre-circle, a reference to Shakespeare’s iconic training-ground stance, with a ball under each arm.
