‘Great pride’: Jermain Defoe announces retirement from football after 22 years
A triple tattoo adorns Jermain Defoe’s right arm and, in many ways, tells the story of a wonderful career that finally came to a halt on Thursday. The words “Hard Work” are inked in just beneath the shoulder, while “Dedication” decorates the biceps and “Success” sits towards the elbow.
Defoe’s ability to stick to that recipe for glory meant he scored 20 goals in 57 games for England between 2004 and 2017 and continued to play professionally until the age of 39.
When he realised his second spell at Sunderland was not helping propel them to promotion from League One, Defoe’s hallmark honesty prompted him to announce his retirement with immediate effect. In seven appearances, featuring two starts, since returning to Wearside he failed to score and had started suspecting his presence was hindering the play-off push.
If his final appearance – as a substitute in Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Lincoln – may not linger longer in the memory, he bows out as the ninth-highest scorer in Premier League history, with 162 goals in 496 appearances.
“After 22 years in the game, I have decided to retire from professional football,” Defoe announced on Instagram. “It’s been a really tough decision and one I have discussed with my family and those closest to me.
“I made my professional debut at 17 years old in 1999 and I feel now is the right time to bow out. I have had an incredible journey and met some amazing people in the game. Football will always remain in my blood and it gives me great pride and satisfaction to look back on that blessed career that I’ve had. I now look forward to spending some quality time with my friends and family.”
After kicking his career off with West Ham he enjoyed two spells with three clubs – Tottenham, Bournemouth and Sunderland – and also played for Portsmouth, Toronto and, more recently, Rangers.
Brought to Glasgow by his former England teammate Steven Gerrard, he was part of last season’s Scottish Premiership title-winning side and, with hindsight, may regret not having hung up his boots last summer. Significantly, the reluctance of the former Sunderland manager Lee Johnson to agree with his board’s enthusiasm for signing Defoe in January almost certainly contributed to the manager’s sacking.
That, though, represents the merest footnote to two decades when Defoe has offered football far more than goals. Four years ago, he was awarded an OBE for his services to football and, in particular, his Jermain Defoe charity foundation, which helps vulnerable and underprivileged children in the Caribbean and the UK, but to many he will be synonymous with Bradley Lowery, who died from a rare form of childhood cancer, aged six, in 2017.
During his first, immensely successful, spell at the Stadium of Light, Defoe struck up a powerful friendship with the terminally-ill Sunderland supporter and says he still thinks of him every day.
It is no exaggeration to say Lowery
has had a profound effect on his life, with Defoe remaining close to Lowery’s family and a patron of the charity foundation established by Bradley’s parents. On Thursday Bradley’s mother, Gemma, described Defoe as “a legend” and said she and her family would be “for ever grateful to football for bringing Jermain into our lives”.
Officials at Sunderland believed the sensitivity and emotional intelligence underpinning Defoe’s bond with Bradley stemmed in part from his upbringing by his mother, Sandra. She has proved an enduring influence on his life and career, among many other things encouraging Defoe to connect with their family’s roots in St Lucia.
Fittingly, her son paid tribute to her on Thursday. “Lastly, I want to say thank you to my mum. You gave me a ball at two years old and you made me believe my dream could happen. All that I am is because of you, and I owe everything to you and God.”