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Jermain Defoe

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Jermain Defoe

Jermain Defoe on pitch after the 5-1
Carling Cup match with Arsenal on 9 January 2008
Personal information
Full name Jermain Colin Defoe
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Portsmouth
Number 14
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:14, 6 September 2008 (UTC)

Jermain Colin Defoe (born 7 October 1982 in Beckton, London) is an English footballer of Saint Lucian and Dominican descent. He is a striker who plays club football for Portsmouth, in the Premier League, having signed from Tottenham Hotspur in January 2008. He began his career at West Ham United, and in the early part of his career he had a loan spell at A.F.C. Bournemouth.

Background

Defoe attended St Joachim Junior School in Custom House, London[1] and St Bonaventure's Catholic Comprehensive School in Forest Gate, London.[2] 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,[3] and then joined the FA National School of Excellence at Lilleshall, Shropshire, as a 14 year old in 1997.[1] He lives in Hertfordshire[4] and is a Christian.[5]

Club career

West Ham United

Defoe was spotted playing for Senrab by Charlton Athletic who enrolled him at the FA National School of Excellence at Lilleshall in 1997.[1] Two years later, he took the controversial decision, aged 16, to turn professional with West Ham United, following which Charlton were subsequently awarded a compensation package rising to £1.4 million depending on Premiership and international appearances.[1] At West Ham, he was a member of the Under-19 team that won the Premiership Academy title in 1999-00, scoring twice against Arsenal in the play-off final,[1] and went on to make his first-team debut in a League Cup game against Walsall in September 2000, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win.[6] The following season, he joined Second Division club Bournemouth on a near season-long loan, where he scored in ten consecutive games, equalling John Aldridge's post-war record.[7] He scored 19 goals in 31 appearances for Bournemouth.[8] 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."[9]

Defoe finished as the West Ham's top scorer in the 2001-02 season despite being used primarily as a substitute by manager Glenn Roeder,[1] scoring 14 goals in 39 league and cup appearances, including the only goal in a 1-0 away win against Manchester United in December 2001, as West Ham finished seventh in the Premiership.[10] He scored a further 11 goals in 42 league and cup appearances in the 2002-03 season but was unable to prevent West Ham from being relegated.[8][11] 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 team-mates and was turned down by the club.[12][13] 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."[14] Defoe began the 2003-04 season with West Ham but a refusal to sign a new contract and disciplinary problems, including three sending offs, which saw him play only 22 games out of a possible 34, led to West Ham accepting an offer from Tottenham for him in the January transfer window.[15] Defoe had scored 41 goals in 105 league and cup appearances for West Ham.[8]

Tottenham Hotspur

Defoe joined Tottenham in January 2004 for an initial fee of £6 million, rising to £7 million depending on "specific performance criteria", and with Bobby Zamora joining West Ham.[15] 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."[16] Defoe marked his arrival at Tottenham with a goal on his debut in the 4-3 home win over Portsmouth in February 2004[17] and added a further six in the remainder of the 2003-04 season, scoring seven goals in 15 matches.[8] 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,[18] and nine goals in eight games in the FA Cup and League Cup, in the 2004-05 season.[8] Despite speculation linking him with other clubs, Defoe signed a new four-and-a-half year contract with Tottenham in April 2005.[19] The following season was not as profitable for Defoe and Spurs manager Martin Jol used Defoe in rotation with Robbie Keane and Mido providing the competition for a starting position; Defoe started 23 times and came on as substitute 13 times, scoring nine goals.[8]

Defoe made 49 league and cup appearances for Tottenham, scoring 18 goals, during the 2006-07 season as Tottenham competed in the UEFA Cup as well as the domestic competitions. He appeared to bite West Ham player Javier Mascherano on the shoulder during Tottenham's 1-0 win over West Ham in October 2006, sparking a melee between players of both sides.[20] The FA declined to take action against Defoe as the referee, Steve Bennett, had booked Defoe for the incident.[21] He scored his 50th goal for Tottenham in the 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day in December 2006, in which he scored both goals,[22] and scored in Tottenham's 2-0 win over Charlton in May 2007, which condemned his former club to relegation to the Championship.[23] Defoe later offered his sympathy for Charlton and expressed his wishes for them to bounce straight back to the Premiership the following season, in a post-match interview. During the summer of 2007, there was speculation about Defoe's future at Tottenham following the arrival of Darren Bent for a fee of £16.5 million. Defoe however insisted that he would stay at Tottenham and fight for his place, saying "I'm really excited about the new season and the prospect of another campaign in Europe. We have made some good signings and are now stronger and better equipped to compete in all competitions."[24]

On 20 September, Defoe came on as a substitute against Famagusta and scored twice, scoring his first goals of the season. He was then axed from the squad in the next league game against Bolton on 23 September. On 25 November 2007 he missed a crucial penalty against former club West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground in the final minute of the game which would have won the game for Spurs. As a result, the game finished 1–1.

Portsmouth

Defoe joined Portsmouth in January 2008 and scored the equalizing goal on his debut, a 1–1 draw at home to Chelsea.[25] In March 2008, he was unable to play against Tottenham as the Premier League ruled that he was ineligible to do so as he was initially signed on loan in January 2008[26] The following week in Portsmouth's game against Wigan he scored two goals, taking his goal tally for Portsmouth to an impressive eight goals in seven games, and becoming the first ever Portsmouth player to score in his first five home games. Due to appearances in Tottenham's third and fourth round ties Defoe found himself cup-tied for all the subsequent matches of Pompey's successful FA Cup 2007-08 campaign. This was particularly unfortunate as Defoe's transfer also resulted in him missing out on playing in Spurs' 2008 Football League Cup Final victory over Chelsea despite appearing in every match en route to the final.

At the start of the Premier League 2008-09 season, Defoe had a slow start as expected along side new strike partner Peter Crouch, playing twice against Manchester United in the 2008 Community Shield and the league and once against Chelsea. Jermain got his first goal of the season away at Everton on August 30 (with the second goal of his in the same game being awarded to Crouch). He then went on to score two goals (with Pompey 1-0 down at the time) in the second half to win the game at home to Middlesbrough on September 13.

International career

Defoe's form for Bournemouth in the 2000-01 season saw him selected for the England U21s team to play Mexico U21s in May 2001, and he marked his debut with the second goal as England U21s won 3-0.[27] He went on to gain 23 caps for England U21s,[28] scoring seven goals.[29] Defoe made his debut for the senior England team in a 1-0 defeat to Sweden in March 2004, coming on as an early substitute for the injured Darius Vassell.[30] England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson singled out Defoe's display for praise in an otherwise poor performance by England, saying, "Jermain Defoe did very well - I liked what I saw. He showed that he can do very well even in international football and that he is technically very good. Jermain is quick and he knows where the goal is, so I liked him very much."[31] He was not however selected for the England squad to take part in Euro 2004.[32] He made his first start for England in a World Cup qualifying match against Poland in September 2004, scoring in a 2-1 win.[33] As he did six months earlier, Eriksson paid tribute to Defoe, saying, ""Jermain is a great talent. It couldn't have been much better for him. He did very well. He scored one goal and created other chances as well. He is a great player who will always score goals."[34]

Despite appearing regularly for England in World Cup qualifying games and friendly matches, Defoe was not named in the provisional England squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and named only on a five-man standby list.[35] He joined the squad for training in Germany but returned to England when Wayne Rooney was cleared to play after having suffered a foot injury in April.[36] He confessed that he was baffled by his omission, saying, "I don't know why I'm not out there. I've been involved in every squad for the last two years and feel I've played a part in helping us to qualify. I have never felt fitter and sharper than I was in training and believe I could have scored goals in the tournament. It's a strange decision and everybody I speak to thinks so as well."[37] Eriksson said after the tournament that he did not think that Defoe would have been a better option than 17 year old Theo Walcott, who had been selected for the England squad, adding, "If I had thought so I would have picked him. I've seen him 15 or 20 times this season and I have to take the best players who I think will be good for us in the future."[38] He made a further explanation a few months later, saying, "Jermain had a very bad season. I don't think he deserved to go to the World Cup. Taking Theo was the right decision."[39]

Steve McClaren, who took over as England manager after the World Cup, selected Defoe for England in his first match, a friendly against Greece in August 2006.[40] Defoe continued to be selected and to appear for England in Euro 2008 qualifying games and friendly matches.[8]

Defoe was initially omitted from Fabio Capello's first squad with the new manager insisting he would only select players who were playing regular club football. One day after scoring on his Portsmouth debut Defoe was recalled to the England squad to replace the injured Gabriel Agbonlahor.[41] Defoe took his international goals tally up to five in the Carribean on June 1 2008 when he scored twice against a less than impressive Trinidad and Tobago defence and staking a claim for a more regular place in the international team.[42]


International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
01. 8 September, 2004 Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland  Poland
0 – 1
1 – 2
World Cup 2006 Qualifying
02. 2 September, 2006 Old Trafford, Manchester, England  Andorra
3 – 0
5 – 0
Euro 2008 Qualifying
03. 2 September, 2006 Old Trafford, Manchester, England  Andorra
4 – 0
5 – 0
Euro 2008 Qualifying
04. 1 June, 2008 Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port Of Spain, Trinidad  Trinidad and Tobago
0 – 2
0 – 3
Friendly Match
05. 1 June, 2008 Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port Of Spain, Trinidad  Trinidad and Tobago
0 – 3
0 – 3
Friendly Match

Trivia

In a recent poll, supporters of the Premier League were asked who they believed were the three coolest players in the league. In the results of the poll, Pascal Chimbonda finished third, close behind Jermain Defoe (2nd) of Portsmouth FC and Jermaine Jenas (1st) of Tottenham Hotspur.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Blows, Kirk (2002). Claret and Blue Blood, Pumping Life Into West Ham United. Mainstream Publishing (Edinburgh). pp. pp. 230-234. ISBN 1-84018-489-2. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Chadband, Ian (2005-02-17). "Why School's Never Out For Jermain". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Lessons from Senrab's soccer school". BBC Sport. 2004-03-30. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ WAG gets her £200,000 kitchen
  5. ^ Prayer helped Defoe bounce back
  6. ^ "Walsall 0-1 West Ham". BBC Sport. 2000-09-19. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Defoe's perfect ten". BBC Sport. 2001-01-24. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "Jermain Defoe". Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
  9. ^ "Redknapp tips Defoe for stardom". BBC Sport. 2001-01-24. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Defoe stuns Man Utd". BBC Sport. 2001-12-08. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "West Ham relegated". BBC Sport. 2003-05-11. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Defoe demands transfer". BBC Sport. 2003-05-12. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "West Ham block Defoe move". BBC Sport. 2003-05-13. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Defoe apologises to Hammers". BBC Sport. 2004-02-03. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ a b "Spurs sign Defoe". BBC Sport. 2004-02-02. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Pleat hails Defoe signing". BBC Sport. 2004-02-03. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Tottenham 4-3 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. 2004-02-07. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Tottenham 5-1 Southampton". BBC Sport. 2004-12-18. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Defoe signs new contract at Spurs". BBC Sport. 2005-04-29. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Tottenham 1-0 West Ham". BBC Sport. 2006-10-19. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "FA will not punish Defoe 'bite'". BBC Sport. 2006-10-23. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ "Tottenham 2-1 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. 2006-12-26. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "Charlton 0-2 Tottenham". BBC Sport. 2007-05-07. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ "Defiant Defoe to fight for place". BBC Sport. 2007-07-05. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Portsmouth 1-1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 2008-02-02. Retrieved 2008-02-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "Defoe 'ineligible' to face Spurs". BBC Sport. 2008-03-20. Retrieved 2008-03-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "Injury-hit England thrive". BBC Sport. 2001-05-24. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "England U21 Caps, 1976-present". Football Association. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
  29. ^ "England U21 Scorers, 1976-2005". Football Association. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
  30. ^ "Sweden 1-0 England". BBC Sport. 2004-03-31. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ "Defoe delights Eriksson". BBC Sport. 2004-03-31. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ "England squad confirmed". BBC Sport. 2004-06-02. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ "Poland 1-2 England". BBC Sport. 2004-09-08. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ "Eriksson delight for Defoe". BBC Sport. 2004-09-08. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ "Walcott & Lennon in England squad". BBC Sport. 2006-05-08. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "Defoe departs England Cup squad". BBC Sport. 2006-06-09. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ "Defoe baffled by England omission". BBC Sport. 2006-06-11. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ "Eriksson defends Walcott choice". BBC Sport. 2006-07-02. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. ^ "Eriksson defends Defoe exclusion". BBC Sport. 2006-11-12. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  40. ^ "England 4-0 Greece". BBC Sport. 2006-08-16. Retrieved 2007-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ "Wright-Phillips fit for England". BBC Sport. 2008-02-05. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7225317.stm" ignored (help)
  42. ^ "Jermain Defoe bangs drum for permanent role with deadly double". Times online. 2008-06-02. Retrieved 2008-06-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)


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