Why does James Maddison do a dart celebration? Tottenham star’s trademark move copied by Bukayo Saka in thrilling derby

James Maddison’s celebration quickly became the talking point of the latest north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham. 

The England international had his dart throw move copied twice by Bukayo Saka who scored for the Gunners during the game. 

While Saka’s celebration looked to be a dig at Maddison, the Arsenal star revealed after the game that the pair had been having some banter pre-match. 

But the move certainly created some interest, with fans starting to think why throwing an imaginary dart is Maddison’s go-to celebration…

Maddison does the darts throw celebration due to his love for the sport. 

The 26-year-old is a regular at darts events and is an avid player himself. 

He started doing the celebration playing for Leicester last season, netting against Newcastle before showcasing the move for the first time. 

Speaking at the World Grand Prix 2022 following those celebrations, he revealed why he has chosen to adopt it. 

He told Sky Sports: “The first time I did it was Newcastle away and it was during the Worlds.

“It was very much a topic of conversation and me and a few of the lads; Jamie Vardy, Luke Thomas and Harvey Barnes, we play darts all the time. 

“Every away trip we get the board up when we’ve got time to kill and we play. 

“I’ve got a board at home and I practice all the time!” 

And the board seems to have moved with him to Tottenham where he has now started doing the celebration too. 

He’s even managed to get captain Heung-min Son involved on numerous occasions. 

Maddison didn’t manage to pull off the celebration himself against Arsenal in a thrilling north London derby, but Saka did. 

He responded by taking a cheeky dig at his international teammate after the game at the Emirates. 

He said: «Me and Bukayo had a