Derek McInnes still winces when he remembers the 2016 League Cup final at Hampden.
A 3-0 defeat for Aberdeen at the hands of Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic as they ticked off the first trophy en route to their Invincible Treble season.
“Out of all of the cup finals at Hampden it’s the one that sticks in my throat because we never turned up,” the Dons boss said. “But for me, James Maddison was our best player. I gave him a free role and he walked out there in front of 50,000 with all the exposure that brings and he thrived on it.
“He wanted to show that he could deal with the magnitude of the game and he absolutely did. He took responsibility and carried the fight to Celtic and I remember saying to Brendan afterwards, ‘he could play in your team’.”
Less than five years later, Maddison IS playing in Rodgers’ team - at Leicester City - and together they might just become the kings of England, with the help of goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who can also look back fondly on a loan spell in Scottish football that helped him reach the very top of his profession.
McInnes and former Falkirk boss John Hughes, who was Schmeichel’s manager in 2007, had no doubt the Leicester duo would go on to become huge stars because they saw the hunger, focus and desire in both players that matched the undoubted ability they possessed.
Maddison was only 19 when he arrived in the Granite City and McInnes knew even before day one that he was made of the right stuff.
He said: “When I spoke to James on the phone, prior to meeting him, he couldn’t wait to get started. I was bowled over by his enthusiasm and how he had done his homework on us. He was really keen to experience it.
“Some English Championship clubs wanted him but Norwich felt that guaranteed playing time with us would be really beneficial to him.
“The Scottish Premiership encompasses every league in England. You’ve got clubs who could play in the English Premier League, the Championship and Leagues One and Two. That’s a sell for us when we pitch to clubs and players - they’ll get the full experience.
“There are games where we are favourites to win and we have to deal with that expectation. There are games in Europe or against the Old Firm in Glasgow, where we have to box a bit clever and get results a different way. So we felt we could give him that whole experience.
“We agreed on a six month loan and he was terrific to work with. We were very close to extending it but Alex Neil, who was manager of Norwich, wanted him back down the road and he went back there more rounded and more robust as a player for his experience of playing in Scotland.
“He ended up getting most assists in the Championship and that led to his move to Leicester. Someone with his talent, creativity and desire is always someone the bigger clubs will look at.
“I still keep in touch with him and to be fair, he is always saying how much he enjoyed his time with us and how much it helped it him.”
McInnes recalls Maddison’s self-confidence, epitomised by a stunning last minute free kick winner over Rangers, was always in evidence - but stressed he never got too big for his boots.
“When a lot of people go on loan, they send out a vibe that the club should be grateful to have them,” he said. “James was never like that. He came in the door grateful for the platform Aberdeen were going to provide him.
“He backed himself. He was playing with good players like Kenny McLean, Graeme Shinnie and Ryan Jack, but he was a top technician, played in tight spaces and had all sorts of goals in him.
“It took him a wee while to get going - the speed and robustness of the Premier League caught him out a wee bit initially - but good players will always adapt and that’s exactly what he did for us.
“He’s come a long way in a short space of time but he was always going to get there.”
Ross County boss Hughes echoed McInnes’ words in the context of Schmeichel, who had yet to break through at Man City when he arrived at Falkirk 13 years ago.
Yogi said: “From the minute he walked in the door, you could tell he was a top class keeper. The way he trained, how he bossed the defence and the saves he would make.
“He had that presence about him and hated losing any kind of goal. Absolutely hated it.
“His kicking was magnificent as well. In fact, he was one of the best free kick takers at the club!
“He was a great lad with a real focus. He knew where he was going.
“We were just happy to have played a part in his progression.”
Hughes admits he was lucky to land Schmeichel and revealed Joe Hart played a huge part, even though the former Bairns boss didn’t have a clue who he was at the time.
“Chipper (Brian Rice) and I went down to watch Man City reserves one night. Kasper was in goal and goalkeeper was a position we needed filled.
“There were a few guys wandering about with Man City tracksuits on and we were asking all kinds of questions about the kid in goal. I was being a nosey swine, asking about his character and all that. The guy who was filling us in was Joe Hart and we didn’t know who he was because he’d not long joined City from Shrewsbury.
“But he waxed lyrical about Kasper and that persuaded us to try to get him, although we thought it would be unlikely.
“Chipper knew Stuart Pierce, who was City’s manager at the time, from their days at Nottingham Forest, and asked if we could have Kasper on loan.
“We didn’t think it would happen because even then, he was on good money, but Stuart was keen to get the kid out on loan.
“The next day, Kasper was up at Falkirk, played in the first team on the Saturday and never looked back.
“His dad would come up and watch him play and train. We’d have a chat in my office about how he was doing and let’s face it, Peter Schmeichel was as good a goalkeeper as you’ll find, so if he was happy we had to be doing something right.
“When I saw Leicester winning the league title a few years ago it brought a smile to my face, thinking I’d worked with a player who went on to win the EPL.
“We only played a small part in his career. He did more for us than we did for him, but it’s nice to hear he’s said in interviews Falkirk was a big and enjoyable part of his development.”
