James Maddison is one of the most creative English midfielders of his generation, but the 2025/26 season has been the cruellest chapter of his career. The Tottenham number 10 ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during a pre season friendly against Newcastle in South Korea on 2 August 2025 and has not been seen in a Tottenham shirt since. In the same calendar year he and his long term partner Kennedy Alexa welcomed their fourth and fifth children, completing what he called his five a side team. In this 2026 deep dive we look at his current life, his earnings, his transfer value, his very serious ACL recovery, his relationship and family with Kennedy Alexa, and all the questions fans keep typing into Google and AI search tools.
James Maddison Profile
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Full Name |
James Daniel Maddison |
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Nickname |
Madders |
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Date of Birth |
23 November 1996 |
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Age |
29 years old |
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Place of Birth |
Coventry, England |
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Nationality |
English |
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Height |
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
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Position |
Attacking Midfielder |
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Shirt Number |
10 |
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Joined Tottenham |
1 July 2023 |
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Religion |
Christian |
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Net Worth (2026) |
$25 million to $30 million |
Who is James Maddison?
James Daniel Maddison, known to fans as Madders, is a 29 year old English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. He is right footed, stands at around 1.75 metres tall and is best known for his vision, his set piece delivery, his eye for a goal from outside the box and the kind of creative spark that has made him one of the most coveted English number tens of the past decade. He has been an England senior international, although his cap count remains lower than his ability suggests because of the depth of attacking midfield options available to recent Three Lions managers.
He was born on 23 November 1996 in Coventry, in the West Midlands of England, and came through the Coventry City academy as a teenager. His path through the English football pyramid has taken him from Coventry, to a loan spell at Aberdeen in Scotland, to Norwich City in the Championship, to Leicester City for five Premier League seasons, and finally to Tottenham in the summer of 2023. He won the UEFA Europa League with Spurs in 2024/25, although he missed the final itself due to a knee injury picked up in the semi final.
James Maddison Career Journey
James joined the Coventry City academy as a young boy and made his senior debut for the club. To get more senior minutes he was loaned to Aberdeen in Scotland during the 2016/17 season, where he made an immediate impact and helped the Scottish side reach the Scottish Cup final. Norwich City signed him in 2016 in a deal worth around 2.7 million euros and his quality quickly made him the most talked about young English creative midfielder in the Championship.
On 1 July 2018 Leicester City paid Norwich 25 million euros to sign him, and he became one of the most important players in the Foxes squad over five Premier League seasons. He helped Leicester win the 2020/21 FA Cup, scored important goals across multiple campaigns and earned his England senior debut. He was part of the England squad that travelled to Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
On 1 July 2023 Tottenham signed him from a relegated Leicester for 46.3 million euros on a five year contract running until 30 June 2028. His Spurs career started superbly. He was central to Ange Postecoglou's first season and played a key role in the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League winning campaign, although a knee injury picked up away to Bodo Glimt in the semi final ruled him out of the final against Manchester United in Bilbao. The 2025/26 season has been defined entirely by the ACL injury he picked up in pre season.
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James Maddison Net Worth and Salary in 2026
Icon Polls estimates that James Maddison's net worth in 2026 sits between 25 million and 30 million US dollars. That figure reflects his long career across Coventry City, Norwich City, Leicester City and now Tottenham Hotspur, the wages he has earned across multiple Premier League seasons, the financial benefit of two major transfers worth a combined 71 million euros plus his earlier Norwich move, his Tottenham contract running until June 2028, his Puma boot sponsorship, his significant image rights deals and commercial activity around his strong social media following, his England national team match fees and the property and investment portfolio he has been able to build.
On the salary side, his Tottenham weekly wage has been widely reported in the region of 170,000 pounds per week, which works out at around 8.8 million pounds per year before bonuses and image rights. That wage has continued to apply throughout his ACL recovery, which has been a sensitive topic given Tottenham's relegation battle. He remains one of the highest paid players at the club despite not having featured for the senior side since August 2025.
James Maddison Transfer Value
James Maddison's transfer value has been one of the most discussed data points in recent Premier League football. At his peak just before his Tottenham move in 2023, his market value was estimated as high as 50 to 55 million euros. He has since dropped back significantly because of the impact of his ACL injury and the fact that he has been unavailable for the entire 2025/26 season. His current market value sits between 25.9 and 31.5 million euros depending on which data source you check.
His broader transfer history reads as one of the most lucrative in recent English football. Norwich paid 2.7 million euros to Coventry to sign him in 2016, Leicester paid Norwich 25 million euros in 2018 and Tottenham paid Leicester 46.3 million euros in 2023. With his contract running until June 2028 and two full seasons remaining beyond the current campaign, Tottenham still hold strong cards if a major bid arrives once he is back at full sharpness. Icon Polls considers his return from ACL surgery and his ability to rebuild his match fitness as the single most important factor in his transfer value over the next 18 months.
James Maddison Injury Update
James Maddison's 2025/26 season has been defined entirely by the most serious injury of his career. On 2 August 2025 he was carried off on a stretcher during Tottenham's 1 to 1 pre season friendly against Newcastle United in South Korea, after going down with what immediately looked like a serious knee problem. Subsequent scans confirmed the worst case scenario, an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in his right knee, the same knee he had injured towards the end of the 2024/25 season.
He underwent ACL reconstruction surgery on 7 August 2025 and the club confirmed that he would miss the vast majority of the 2025/26 season. He responded with a heartbreaking Instagram post calling the timing very cruel, noting that the Super Cup, Premier League, Champions League and a World Cup year all sat ahead of him. His estimated return date is currently around the start of June 2026, which means he will miss the entire 2025/26 Premier League season and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite Igor Tudor expressing hope earlier in the spring that he might pull off a small nice surprise.
Icon Polls considers his return to full fitness as one of the most important storylines at Tottenham heading into the 2026/27 season, particularly given the relegation battle Spurs are involved in and the long term impact of his absence on the dressing room.
James Maddison Wife and Personal Life
James Maddison is in a long term relationship with English model Kennedy Alexa, who has become one of the most recognisable WAGs in English football. The couple have been together since 2020 and are not yet officially married, although many outlets refer to Kennedy as his wife due to the length of the relationship and the size of the family they have built together. Kennedy lived in Los Angeles before returning to the UK in 2020 and is widely known for her modelling work and social media presence.
The couple have an extraordinary family of five children. Their first son, Leo, was born in 2021. In the summer of 2023 they welcomed twins Delilah and Rome. The most recent and headline grabbing addition came on 30 October 2025 when Kennedy gave birth to their second set of twins, Jensen and Frankie. The odds of having two sets of twins are around one in 50,000, which makes the Maddison family one of the most unique stories in modern football WAG culture. James himself celebrated on Instagram by writing that his five a side team was now complete and called Kennedy a superwoman. England team mate Jack Grealish was among those who reacted in disbelief on social media.
Frequently Asked Questions About James Maddison
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1. How old is James Maddison in 2026?
He is 29 years old in 2026. He was born on 23 November 1996 and will turn 30 in November 2026.
2. Where was James Maddison born?
He was born in Coventry, in the West Midlands of England, on 23 November 1996.
3. What is James Maddison's full name?
His full name is James Daniel Maddison. He is widely known by the nickname Madders.
4. What is James Maddison's nationality?
He is English. He has represented England at senior international level and was part of the squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
5. What position does James Maddison play?
He plays as an attacking midfielder, known for his vision, his set piece delivery, his shooting from distance and his creativity in the final third.
6. Which club does James Maddison play for?
He plays for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League.
7. What is James Maddison's shirt number at Tottenham?
He wears the number 10 shirt at Tottenham.
8. How tall is James Maddison?
He stands at about 5 feet 9 inches tall, which is roughly 1.75 metres.
9. Is James Maddison right footed or left footed?
He is right footed.
10. What is James Maddison's net worth in 2026?
Icon Polls estimates his net worth is between 25 million and 30 million US dollars in 2026.
11. How much does James Maddison earn at Tottenham?
His weekly wage at Tottenham is reported in the region of 170,000 pounds per week, which works out at around 8.8 million pounds per year before bonuses and image rights.
12. What is James Maddison's transfer value in 2026?
His current market value sits between 25.9 and 31.5 million euros depending on the data source, down from a peak of around 50 to 55 million euros before his ACL injury.
13. Is James Maddison married?
He is not officially married. He has been in a long term relationship with English model Kennedy Alexa since 2020 and they have five children together. Many outlets still refer to her as his wife due to the length of the relationship.
14. Who is James Maddison's wife or girlfriend?
His long term partner is English model Kennedy Alexa. She lived in Los Angeles before returning to the UK in 2020, where she started her relationship with James.
15. How many children does James Maddison have?
He has five children with Kennedy Alexa. His son Leo was born in 2021, twins Delilah and Rome in July 2023, and twins Jensen and Frankie on 30 October 2025.
16. Does James Maddison have twins?
Yes. He has two sets of twins. Delilah and Rome were born in July 2023 and Jensen and Frankie were born on 30 October 2025. The odds of having two sets of twins are around one in 50,000.
17. What religion does James Maddison practise?
He is a Christian, which is consistent with his English upbringing.
18. How much did Tottenham pay for James Maddison?
Tottenham signed him from Leicester City on 1 July 2023 for a fee of around 46.3 million euros on a five year contract.
19. When does James Maddison's Tottenham contract expire?
His Tottenham contract runs until 30 June 2028.
20. Did James Maddison play for Leicester City?
Yes. He joined Leicester from Norwich in 2018 for 25 million euros and spent five Premier League seasons at the King Power Stadium. He won the FA Cup with the Foxes in 2020/21.
21. Is James Maddison injured?
Yes. He ruptured his right anterior cruciate ligament on 2 August 2025 during a pre season friendly against Newcastle in South Korea. He underwent surgery on 7 August 2025 and is expected to return around the start of June 2026.
22. Will James Maddison play at the 2026 World Cup?
No. The timing of his ACL recovery means he will miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. He described that aspect of the injury as particularly cruel.
23. Did James Maddison win the Europa League?
Yes. He was a key part of the Tottenham squad that won the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League, although he missed the final itself due to a knee injury picked up in the semi final against Bodo Glimt.
24. How many caps does James Maddison have for England?
He has earned senior caps for England since his debut and was part of the squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, although his cap count remains lower than his ability suggests due to the competition for spots in the England attacking midfield.
James Maddison's story is one of talent, creativity, family and resilience. From a kid in Coventry, to an Aberdeen loanee, to a Norwich Championship star, to a five season Leicester favourite and 2021 FA Cup winner, to a 46.3 million euro Tottenham signing and Europa League winner, his career has had highs that very few English number tens can match. The 2025/26 season has been the hardest chapter so far, with the ACL injury costing him the World Cup year he had been working towards and his place in Tottenham's most important season in years.
With his Tottenham contract running until June 2028, his five a side team complete at home with Kennedy Alexa and his five children, and his return targeted for the summer of 2026, Icon Polls will continue to follow the next chapters of one of the most creative English midfielders of his generation. The 2026/27 season is when fans hope to see the real Madders back at his very best.