DEFOE DEFYING HIS AGE AHEAD OF SHOWDOWN AT HAMPDEN IN JUNE –
Ice baths and vegan diet aid veteran’s bid for Russia role
AS THE years have rolled by, Jermain Defoe has sought new ways to stay ahead of the game. The 34-year-old abstains from alcohol. He has regular sports massages. He was renting a cryotherapy chamber at a cost of £1,000 a time for three minutes in sub-zero temperatures at his home before Sunderland introduced them at their training ground under Sam Allardyce.
Defoe has always paid close attention to his diet, and now he is taking that one step further: attempting to force his way into one final England World Cup squad, the striker has turned to veganism.
‘The key thing for me is recovery and how you look after yourself after the games to give yourself the best opportunity to perform in the next one,’ said Defoe. ‘I seem to have got that to a tee. There’s a lot of things I do away from training and playing that help me to perform on match day. I still look forward to training. The buzz is still there. I want to try to play for as long as I can. I feel fit and sharp. Just doing stuff that will give me the best opportunity to play and score goals.’
Recently, his girlfriend showed him documentaries explaining the benefits of following a vegan diet — abstaining from foods with animal products — and other athletes have fuelled success that way.
The Williams sisters turned vegan in 2011 after Venus was diagnosed with a chronic auto-immune disease. Cyclist Lizzie Armitstead (now Deignan) won silver at London 2012 on a vegan diet.
Several ultra-marathon and ironman competitors who rely on stamina also follow the lifestyle.
‘I’m trying to turn vegan, which is a funny one because when I go to my mum’s she’s got every meat you can imagine out on the table,’ added Defoe. ‘I have a better understanding of my body now. I know when I need to have a rest day. I do a lot of that cryotherapy stuff. It’s not enjoyable, but try to do it like you’re loving it.
‘Everyone wants to play and there’s no better feeling than to feel fresh. I don’t find anything hard because I know the feeling I get scoring goals. It’s like when I get in that ice bath. I don’t want to do it but I know at the weekend I’m going to get rewarded.’
The approach earned a surprise call-up by England manager Gareth Southgate and Defoe looked sharp as ever as he scored in Sunday’s World Cup qualifier against Lithuania.
It turned the debate from ‘Can he still score at international level?’ to ‘Is he really worthy of a place in the England squad for Russia?’
Tottenham striker Harry Kane, 23, currently out with an ankle injury, is first choice when fit. Leicester’s Jamie Vardy, 30, has consistently performed well for England.
All of a sudden 31-year-old Wayne Rooney, recently stripped of the captaincy and playing little for Manchester United, does not feel a certain pick. His clubmate Marcus Rashford is only 19 and surely the next generation must be considered. There are others who have fallen out of contention with injuries but could play their way back in: Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Andy Carroll. Southgate (right) has indicated Defoe needs to be playing in the Premier League next season. With Sunderland bottom of the table, despite his 14 league strikes, that will likely mean a move. In the summer, Allardyce would consider him for Crystal Palace should they stay up, while former club West
Ham are monitoring things.
Defoe will do whatever it takes to be in contention, having been left gutted that former England manager Roy Hodgson omitted him from the Euro 2016 squad.
‘I didn’t feel I was getting an opportunity,’ said Defoe. ‘It was heartbreaking, because in my heart I felt I’d done enough.
‘I’m not talking about going to the Euros and starting. Just to be with this bunch of players and have the opportunity to play with that kind of quality.
‘Gareth phoned me and said: “Even if you’re not in the squad, I will still call you”. You appreciate that. ‘Never once did I think I was going to retire from international football. Because I’ve worked so hard and I still feel sharp. I always thought if I do get selected that I could still score goals at this level. ‘(Rejection) keeps the fire in your belly. I’ve never been one of those people who wants something given to me on a plate.’ Particularly now, that is, if it has meat on it.