Noni Madueke

Chukwunonso Tristan "Noni" Madueke (born 10 March 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Chelsea and the England national team.

Early life

Madueke is of Nigerian Igbo descent. Born in Barnet, Greater London, he moved to the small village of Wintelre with his mother upon signing for PSV Eindhoven.

Club career

Early career

Madueke joined Crystal Palace at the age of nine and spent three years at the club. He subsequently joined Tottenham Hotspur; he captained their under-16 side and made his under-18 debut at the age of 15.

PSV Eindhoven

Madueke signed with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in June 2018 on a three-year contract, rejecting an offer from Manchester United in the process. On 26 August 2019, Madueke made his senior debut in the Eerste Divisie for Jong PSV, coming on as a 64th minute substitute in a 1–0 loss to MVV Maastricht.

After making his debut for PSV's first team on 19 January 2020, in a 1–1 draw against VVV-Venlo, Madueke broke into the PSV team fully during the 2020–21 season, scoring on his first start for the club in a 2–1 win against Emmen on 19 September 2020. Madueke finished the season with seven Eredivisie goals. He was later described as having a "breakout" campaign, with nine goals and eight assists in all competitions.

On 7 August 2021, Madueke scored twice in a 4–0 Johan Cruyff Shield win against Ajax, in turn helping to end Ajax's 17-game unbeaten streak. On 26 August, Madueke signed a new contract with PSV, keeping him at the club until 2025. He was also given the number 10 jersey.

Chelsea

On 20 January 2023, Premier League club Chelsea signed Madueke on a seven-and-a-half-year contract, for an estimated transfer fee of £28.5 million (€33 million). He scored his first goal for the club on 2 May, in a 3–1 league defeat away to Arsenal.

Ahead of the 2024–25 season, Madueke stated that a dispute between teammates Enzo Fernández and Wesley Fofana (with Fofana accusing Fernandez of racism), would be resolved.

Madueke scored the first hat-trick of his senior career in a 6–2 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on 25 August 2024, having come under fire earlier in the day for disparaging the city of Wolverhampton in an Instagram story. The story was later deleted and he apologised after the match.

In December 2024, Madueke was told by manager Enzo Maresca to "work harder" after losing his first-team place. In February 2025, he was injured, and ruled out until late March.

International career

Youth career

Madueke has represented England at youth level, scoring twice for the under-17 team in a qualifier against Denmark and was a squad member at the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.

Madueke made his U18 debut as a 70th minute substitute during the 3–2 win over Australia at De Montfort Park on 6 September 2019. He opened his goalscoring account for the U18s during a 2–0 win over South Korea at North Street on 10 September 2019.

On 15 March 2021, Madueke received his first England U21 call up as part of the Young Lions squad for the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and made his debut as a starter in the second group game, a 2–0 defeat to Portugal on 28 March 2021. He scored his first goal for the U21s in a 4–0 friendly win over France on 25 March 2023.

On 14 June 2023, Madueke was included in the England squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Featuring in all of his country's six games, Madueke helped England to win the tournament without conceding a single goal.

Senior career

On 29 August 2024, Madueke was called up to the senior squad for the first time for the UEFA Nations League matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland. He debuted on 10 September 2024 against Finland at Wembley Stadium, coming on as a substitute for Bukayo Saka in the 66th minute, where he assisted on Harry Kane's second goal ten minutes later as England won 2–0.

Style of play

Upon signing for PSV in June 2018, Madueke was described by the club as "a creative, physically strong left-footed midfielder". His manager at PSV, Roger Schmidt, stated that Madueke was "able to read situations, get to the right positions and be in the right place". The BBC described him as a "direct, powerful and versatile attacker" who was inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo. Madueke is known for his speed and dribbling ability.