Maupay reveals he'd mock Maddison's darts celebration again despite Spurs star's anger

Neal Maupay says he has no regrets about mocking James Maddison’s signature darts celebration during Brentford’s 3-2 Premier League defeat at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in January 2024 — and would do it all over again if given the chance.

The now-Marseille forward scored in the first half that afternoon and immediately mimicked Maddison’s well-known darts-throwing routine in front of the home supporters, sparking a brief but entertaining public exchange between the two players after the final whistle.

“I actually haven’t spoken to him about it since,” Maupay told FourFourTwo. “From what I heard, he wasn’t too happy about it. From my point of view, I think it was a good celebration and if I had to do it again, I would.”

Maupay was keen to stress there was no genuine animosity behind the gesture. The pair had met nine times on the pitch before that match — including several encounters when Maddison was at Leicester City — and Maupay insists the relationship was always cordial.

“I have no problem with James Maddison,” he said. “When I faced him while he was at Leicester, we were always friendly with each other. But in this game, with the atmosphere and seeing the fans in the front row, I just wanted to do his celebration.”

Maddison was quick to fire back after the game, quipping that Maupay “probably hasn’t scored enough goals in the last couple of years for his own celebration, so he probably had to copy mine.” Maupay responded on Instagram by pointing out he had “more goals and less relegations” to his name.

Despite the back-and-forth, Maupay frames the whole episode as pure in-the-moment instinct rather than a calculated wind-up. “I don’t usually plan celebrations because I like to react to my emotions,” he explained. “I just go with the flow of the game and how I feel at the time.”

Spurs ran out 3-2 winners on the day, meaning Maddison had the last laugh on the scoreboard — but Maupay, characteristically, shows little sign of letting that detail dampen his satisfaction with the moment.