Why James Maddison deserved to be called up the World Cup

James Maddison finally got his call.

The World Cup starts in ten days and Gareth Southgate announced his lineup for the tournament. With many wondering if James Maddison would get called up to the squad, Southgate gave him the ticket to Qatar. This will be Maddison’s first time being called up since 2019. That is simply ridiculous for a player of his caliber.

In 12 appearances with Leicester City this season, Maddison has scored six goals and assisted on four. When the foxes played some of their worst football, Maddison was still playing at an elite level. The English squad needs a player like this heading into the most intense World Cup of all time. A World Cup in the middle of the season is grueling mentally and physically. This is going to take a toll on the team which may cause them to not be in their best form. When this team starts to dip, they know they can have a player they trust in Maddison.

For the Euro 2022, Southgate called up three attacking midfielders. Those players were Phil Foden, Mason Mount and Jack Grealish. Since the end of the tournament, Maddison has outperformed them all statistically. In Maddison’s 66 appearances since the start of last season, he has scored 24 goals and assisted 16 goals. Foden, who almost certainly has a guaranteed call-up, has scored 21 goals and assisted on 16 in 64 appearances.

The debate has heavily been on Maddison vs Mount throughout the season. Mount has 15 goals and 18 assists in his 70 appearances. Maddison has not only been statistically better than Mount, but he has been far more consistent. So the fact Mount continues to get called up while Maddison is left at home is shocking.

However, there is no argument that can be made for Jack Grealish. In his 54 appearances, he has scored seven goals and assisted four. The move to Manchester City has been lackluster for the 100-million-dollar man. If Southgate is picking off of the form, as he should be, he can’t select Grealish over Maddison. Making this selection would be telling the fans that form means nothing as long as Southgate has a little bit of trust in you.

James Maddison has a playstyle that would benefit the England squad more. Some of these players have better strengths than Maddison. Such as Foden is a better dribbler and Grealish is quicker on the ball. However, none of them are as good all around as Maddison. While being the clear best goal scorer, Maddison would still be one of the best passers on the team.

James Maddison provides the England squad with elite skills and mentality. He is arguably England’s X-factor player heading into the tourney. His all-around attacking skills give a spark that will be needed during the tournament.