The 29-year-old suffered the original blow during Tottenham’s Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt in May 2025 but was told he didn’t need surgery.
Maddison’s injury was then exacerbated during a pre-season friendly against Newcastle in South Korea, forcing him to go under the knife and leave him sidelined for 375 days.
Speaking to reporters after his comeback in Tottenham’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Leeds on Monday, Maddison opened up on his struggles while injured.
“In my head, it goes back to the Europa League semi-final here when I got injured here because I did a partial ACL tear against Bodo/Glimt,” he said.
"I was told by the (external) specialist it wouldn’t need surgery and rehab. Then obviously it wasn’t strong, it didn’t recover properly, and I needed the full surgery, which is what happened in South Korea.
“There have been some dark days in the last year, especially since the surgery.
“It has been a really tough year for me mentally, but I’m at the end of the tunnel now, so I can kind of look back on that with fondness because I’m as mentally strong as I can after going through that.
“Physically, I feel really good, so the moment personally is something that will live with me forever, the reception Spurs fans gave me.”