Marcus Maddison was always one of those players where football fans wondered why teams weren’t falling over themselves to sign him from Peterborough.
After all, his output there was exceptional – Maddison scoring 62 goals and providing 92 assists in 249 games for The Posh.
For three consecutive seasons (2016/17 – 2018/19), Maddison had over 15 assists per season – totalling 51 assists in that trios of seasons as well and 25 goals for Peterborough.
Still, the big move never came; the big move many thought would happen.
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Maddison, Peterborough and the next steps
In his final season with the London Road outfit (2019/20), Maddison featured in 22 games for Peterborough scoring nine League One goals and providing six assists.
On Deadline Day (31 January 2020), Maddison left Peterborough and stepped up from League One to Sky Bet Championship level with Hull City. He featured in just seven Championship games for the Tigers, scoring just the one goal against Swansea in a 4-4 draw.
Not signing a contract with Peterborough, he instead joined up with Charlton Athletic instead at the start of October. He featured in 10 games (2 goals/1 assist) for the Addicks before a Deadline Day move on loan to League Two side Bolton Wanderers.
Bolton Wanderers and Marcus Maddison – a two-month romance
Maddison’s time at The Macron saw him feature just 10 times for Ian Evatt’s side over his stay at the club. Just 10 appearances and that was the sum total of his contribution to the cause.
Then he posted this on his Instagram (below) after negotiating a release from Bolton and his commitments there:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CNklquxj7ZI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Speaking of reasons behind the decision reached between the Trotters and Maddison, Bolton boss Evatt said: “The consequences of the pandemic have brought many challenges to so many people, and Marcus, in particular, has found it exceptionally difficult being away from his young daughter and alone in his hotel room.”
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The Comment
It’s a real shame that Marcus Maddison feels as though he has to step back from football. Of course, his actions are more than understandable and should be sympathised with. The after-effects of the pandemic affect all; they are not selective in that manner.
However, looking at it purely through a football lens, commenting that “the football industry has eventually broke me” (as he does on his Instagram) is not something that clubs will look at favourably when considering whether to sign him onto their books. I
That will be a thought compounded by Maddison admitting he doesn’t “want to play football any more as it just doesn’t bring me any joy at all.” It definitely doesn’t look good from Charlton’s point-of-view.
However, it is never about ‘just football’ and it never should be. Hopefully, Marcus Maddison will get the right help but it looks as though his immediate future isn’t with football.
Biographical details for Marcus Maddison are taken from his player profile pages on the Transfermarkt website.
