‘Ange Postecoglou inspired us to win the Europa League. He was a powerful guy and you grabbed onto anything he said’ James Maddison’s praise for his former Tottenham boss

Ange Postecoglou, manager of Tottenham Hotspur, celebrates with James Maddison of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Etihad Stadium on November 23, 2024 in Manchester, England.
James Maddison is full of praise for Ange Postecoglou (Image credit: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)

When Tottenham won the Europa League last season, it was the club’s first piece of silverware for 17 years.

The victory over Manchester United in the final came against the backdrop of a disappointing Premier League campaign, one which ultimately cost Ange Postecoglou his job.

James Maddison on winning the Europa League

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou gestures with his arms spread during the Europa League match against Eintracht Frankfurt, April 2025.

Postecoglou lost his job shortly after the Europa League victory (Image credit: Alamy)

“Winning a trophy with Spurs was special,” James Maddison tells FourFourTwo when asked about his proudest achievements in the game. “And playing for England, walking out at Wembley for my country with my family there.

“It’s hard to top those two. Being part of the team that won the Europa League means a lot.

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Tottenham have had their fair share of near misses in recent history, and Maddison believes that Postecoglou’s approach to embracing the club’s history and using this a catalyst to change was key in delivering a long-awaited trophy.

“Ange [Postecoglou] always used to say that there are pictures on the wall everywhere of teams that have won trophies at this club and they’re all in black and white, but we could be the group to change that.

“And we did.”

Former Celtic boss Postecoglou was dismissed less than three weeks after the Europa League final in Bilbao and would go on to last for just 39 days and eight games at Nottingham Forest in his next managerial stint.

But for Maddison, Postecoglou’s presence looms large on his recollection of Spurs’ first European trophy win since the 1984 UEFA Cup.

Tottenham lift the Europa League trophy after defeating Manchester United 1-0 in Bilbao, May 2025

Tottenham's Europa League win was their first European silverware since the 1984 UEFA Cup (Image credit: Getty Images)

“He was a powerful guy, really powerful. You grabbed onto anything he said – and we did it, we changed it.

“The parade was very special, to see how much it meant to the Tottenham fans – it was really nice to be part of that.”

Maddison was speaking at PUMA’s new store on Oxford Street in London, the brand’s first European flagship store.

Joe Mewis

For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.

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