Jermain Defoe

Jermain Colin Defoe (born 7 October 1982) is an English football coach and former professional player.

He is the under-18s coach at Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.

Defoe was a striker and began his career with Charlton Athletic, joining their youth team aged 14, before moving to West Ham United aged 16 and rising through the ranks.

He joined the Sunday league team Senrab, well known in London for producing players such as Lee Bowyer, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Ledley King, and then joined the FA National School of Excellence at Lilleshall, Shropshire, as a 14-year-old in 1997.

While there, he attended Idsall School.

Defoe was spotted playing football by Charlton Athletic who enrolled him at the FA National School of Excellence at Lilleshall Hall in 1997.

Two years later, he took the controversial decision, aged 16, to turn professional with West Ham United, following which Charlton were subsequently awarded compensation rising to £1.4 million contingent on Defoe's Premier League and international appearances.

At West Ham, he was a member of the Under-19 team that won the Premier Academy League title in 1999–2000, scoring twice against Arsenal in the play-off final.

He made his first-team debut for West Ham in 2000 and, after a season-long loan spell at AFC Bournemouth during the 2000–01 season, established himself in the West Ham line-up.

Defoe made his first-team debut in a League Cup match against Walsall in September 2000, scoring in a 1–0 win.

Shortly thereafter, he joined Second Division club AFC Bournemouth on a near season-long loan, where he scored in ten consecutive matches, equalling John Aldridge's and Clarrie Jordan's post-war record.

He scored 18 goals in 29 league appearances for Bournemouth.

West Ham manager Harry Redknapp tipped him for stardom, saying, "He's done great. I sent him out to Bournemouth to get some experience playing league football and he's coped marvellously. To score 10 goals in 10 games is a terrific achievement. He's a bright lad who's full of confidence. Nothing knocks him, he's a typical goal-scorer. If he misses, he'll be there the next time looking for a goal. He's a kid with a big future."

Defoe finished as West Ham's top scorer in the 2001–02 season despite being used primarily as a substitute by manager Glenn Roeder, scoring 14 goals in 39 league and cup appearances, one of which was a 1–0 away win against Manchester United in December 2001, as West Ham finished seventh in the Premier League.

He scored a further 11 goals in 42 league and cup appearances in 2002–03 but was unable to prevent West Ham from being relegated.

Less than 24 hours after the club had been relegated, Defoe made a written request for a transfer, saying, "As much as I love West Ham United I feel that now is the right time for me to move on in my career. This is very much a career decision. I am very ambitious and hungry to achieve at the highest levels of the game for both club and country."

The timing of his request, however, drew criticism from both fans and teammates and was turned down by the club.

He later apologised to supporters, saying, "I mishandled that move and I can only apologise. I'm young and I've learned from it. I still played my hardest for West Ham and gave them 100% and want to thank the fans for their support."

After West Ham's relegation in 2003, a move to Tottenham Hotspur in January 2004 soon followed, where Defoe played for four years before being sold to Portsmouth in January 2008.

Defoe began 2003–04 with West Ham but a refusal to sign a new contract and disciplinary problems, including three sendings-off, which saw him play only 22 matches out of a possible 34, led to West Ham accepting an offer from Tottenham Hotspur for him in the January transfer window.

Defoe debuted for the England national team in 2004, making 57 appearances and scoring 20 goals, including three appearances and a goal at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Defoe was born in Beckton, east London.

He was born to a Dominican father and his mother is of Saint Lucian descent.

Defoe attended St Joachim Primary School in Custom House, London and St Bonaventure's in Forest Gate, London.

Defoe grew up in Canning Town and when his family moved to Beckton, played five-a-side football at Newham Leisure Centre.

Defoe joined Tottenham in February 2004 for an initial fee of £6 million, rising to £7 million depending on "specific performance criteria", and with Bobby Zamora joining West Ham.

Manager David Pleat said, "I can't think of a British striker at his age who has achieved as much in such a short space of time. His goal record for a 21-year-old is quite exceptional. I hope he will have a fine career at Tottenham."

Defoe marked his arrival at Tottenham with a goal on his debut in the 4–3 home win over Portsmouth in February 2004 and added a further six in the remainder of 2003–04, scoring 7 goals in 15 matches.

He then scored 13 goals in 36 matches in the Premier League, including a hat-trick in a 5–1 win over Southampton in December 2004, and nine goals in eight matches in the FA Cup and League Cup, in 2004–05.

He also received the club's Player of the Year award for the 2004 calendar year, as voted by season ticket holders and Spurs members.

Despite speculation linking him with other clubs, Defoe signed a new four-and-a-half-year contract with Tottenham in April 2005.

He spent one season at Fratton Park before returning to Tottenham in the January 2009 transfer window.

In April 2011, Defoe became the 20th player to score a century of Premier League goals, and is currently the ninth-highest goalscorer in Premier League history as well as the sixth-highest goalscorer in Tottenham's history.

Defoe also holds the Premier League record for the most goals scored as a substitute, with 24.

He left for Toronto FC of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2014, before returning to England in January 2015 to sign for Sunderland where he stayed until the club was relegated from the Premier League in 2017.

On 19 November 2016, Defoe scored his 150th Premier League goal, becoming the joint tenth-highest goal scorer in Premier League history.

Following a brief spell at AFC Bournemouth in 2017, Defoe joined Scottish side Rangers in 2018 on loan.

The move was later made permanent.

At his new club he was involved in winning the 2020–21 league title.

This was the first and only league title in his career at the age of 38.