Jermain Defoe at 40: The nomadic English striker loved everywhere

He might feel like he was wearing a West Ham shirt three sizes too big when he was 18, but Jermain Defoe is 40 today. From teenage West Ham sensation to inspirational role model, Defoe has played at many clubs and is loved by almost all of them. Below are some of the best moments of his career.

Harry, Crouch and Crankcar

It turned out to be a monument, but Harry Redknapp was monumental in Defoe’s development. He bought him from Charlton for a million pounds when he was 16, helping him develop at West Ham, and twice as much from Portsmouth and Tottenham.

At Portsmouth, he teamed up with Peter Crouch and Nico Kranjcar, and the trio became icons of that era in the Premier League. Portsmouth won the FA Cup before reforming Tottenham to compete in the Champions League. Two successful spells during his time at Spurs and Bombay, but he will go down in history at White Hart Lane…

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Five v Wigan Athletic

Only Alan Shearer and Andy Cole have scored five goals in a Premier League game. Later in 2009 Spurs played at Wigan Athletic. They only led 1–0 at the break, but Defoe scored five goals in the second half and Spurs won 9–1. It is an absolutely exciting game.

“I never dreamed I would score five goals in a Premier League game. This is school football,” he wrote in the Players’ Tribune. “But I had an impression in the first five minutes against Wigan. I don’t remember exactly what it was, but I did something in the game and I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m in it today. I had this…. I remember it was 1-0 at half-time but I scored my first goal in the 50th minute and they kept coming. second, third, fourth”

England’s World Cup Goal

The World Cup has given Defoe the biggest ups and downs of his career. In 2006, when he was scoring goals in the Premier League and involved in the England squad, Sven-Goran Eriksson surprisingly dropped 16-year-old Theo Walcott from the squad. Walcott had barely played a minute of Premier League football at this stage and was purely a left-wing option, while Defoe was a reliable goalscorer.

After a disappointing 2006 and the misery of not qualifying for the Euros in 2008, Defoe got his chance under manager Fabio Capello in 2010. England were drawn into the final group stage against Slovenia. The Three Lions were expected to win and Defoe went close at the near post to fire home the winning goal. According to Defoe, this is his favorite goal.

Sunderland and Bradley Lowery

Defoe moved to Toronto before dropping the Sunderland striker. This transfer will give a new impetus to his life and will change his life. Let’s start from the field. He scored one of the most important goals of the Tyne-wear derby against Newcastle. Steven Fletcher headed the ball and fired it into the top corner with his left foot. slander

He was an amazing forward on the field, but off the field he formed an inseparable bond with Bradley Lowery. It was clear from their first meeting that they had a special relationship, and Defoe spent time with her until his death in 2017, while her charity work with the Bradley Lowery Foundation continued.

“At first I was going there with other soldiers, but then I went back on my own,” he wrote. I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. We had this natural connection, this bond. I don’t always know how to explain it. I got so used to his presence at Sunderland that I really struggled after he left.

“He taught me to appreciate life and the people around me. It changed me, my whole perspective. He was a character, very funny.

Rangers sign

Steven Gerrard called Defoe with a simple message. “This club is the closest thing I’ve seen to Liverpool. He’s that big. He’s a giant. We’re going to put it back on top.

He didn’t lie. Defoe joined the club as an experienced frontman and helped guide Rangers to their first Scottish title in ten years. They snapped Celtic’s ten-game winning streak and remained unbeaten for the entire season. So the blue half of Glasgow can be added to the parts of Britain that remember Defoe fondly.

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