Captain Gomez
REPORTS JERMAIN DEFOE has revealed the secret to his staying power in top-level football: no puddings, no sweets. It bores his girlfriend to death but the sacrifice is worth it.
The 34-year-old was recalled for England duty after three years out of the international fold in a surprise move by Gareth Southgate in March.
The lethal finishing skills that have always provided Defoe with employment at top clubs are still there. As soon as Sunderland were relegated at the end of last season there were clubs queuing for his signature, but it was Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe who got his man.
The Cherries handed him a three-year deal in June after a free transfer in a clear show of the faith they have in his longevity.
Southgate, who will take Defoe to Valletta today as part of his squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovakia, clearly has the same admiration. Defoe still has that precious ability of knowing where the net is.
Since making his debut for West Ham at the age of 17, he has scored 268 goals in 652 games in a career that has taken him from Upton Park to the Vitality Stadium via Tottenham, Portsmouth, Toronto and Sunderland. He also has 20 goals from 57 England appearances.
So after all that time, how does he keep himself fit, healthy and hungry?
“It is something that has always been in me from day one,” he said. “I remember the first time I walked into West Ham, that hunger. I just wanted to get into the first team.
“You get into the first team, then score goals in the Premier League. Then you want to play for England, then go to a tournament.
“Nothing has changed. It was unfortunate at Sunderland, but I had a great opportunity to go to Bournemouth and my next goal was to score goals for Bournemouth, show people I can still do it. I want to stay in and around the England squad and hopefully go to another World Cup.” Defoe talks enthusiastically about the care he takes over his preparation for games, and his rest and recovery after them. The diet – he is trying to become vegan – has always been a key factor. “When I was younger I used to have a lot of desserts. I always enjoy eating out and going to nice restaurants but now I mainly eat at home,” he said. “My girlfriend says I am boring because I always eat the same things. “She says, ‘Why don’t you mix it up?’ But if it works, you continue doing it. No more desserts now. “At times it is boring. You have a day when you want to eat sweets or go to the cinema and have popcorn, but it is a sacrifice. I know when I am doing it right when I feel fresh and good and there is no better feeling. You get tempted, but you’ve got to be disciplined.
“I do yoga, pilates, a lot of power work in the gym. I was always in the gym – even in my teens, doing a lot of power work.
“I understand my body a lot more now. There are days when I will have a hard training session and the next day I need to rest to be fresh for the weekend.
“I speak to the nutritionists, the doctors, the physios – I ask questions to try to improve each season.
“I just want to keep it going and try to do the same as I did the previous season.”
Defoe is not even thinking about hanging up his shooting boots, although he is preparing to take his coaching badges for a move into management when retirement finally comes.
“I just take each day as it comes and enjoy my football, do what I’ve got to do,” he said. “Touch wood I have been quite lucky with injuries.
“I am quite hard on myself. I don’t feel like I should feel tired or fatigued in games – but then I have to be realistic. I am getting older.
“I am not superhuman. This pre-season was really hard.
“I can get through it, but the day after I think, ‘I never used to feel like this 10 years ago’.” LIVERPOOL defender Joe Gomez has been named the new England Under-21 captain.
The 20-year-old has been chosen to take the armband from James Ward-Prowse, who is no longer eligible for the Under-21s.
Gomez, right, who spent 15 months out with a serious knee injury and returned to fitness in January, has played in all three of the Reds’ Premier League games so far this season, starting twice. Aidy Boothroyd, the Under-21 coach, said: “He’s a senior player, he has won a trophy at Under-17 level. He’s a little bit more worldly wise than the other boys after having a long-term injury. “Coming through that and getting into the Liverpool first team says a bit about him. “He’s well respected in the group, so he is the one.” England travel to the Netherlands today for tomorrow’s opening Euro 2019 qualifier.