Jermaine Defoe Profile

Jermaine Defoe will be one of the senior statesmen in the England attack during the 2010 Football World Cup. After years in the World Cup wilderness, Dafoe secured himself a place in South Africa by scoring a brace of goals against World Cup favourites, the Netherlands, in August of 2009.

Playing Position: Forward
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Jersey Number: 18

Jermaine Defoe Bio

Jermaine Defoe was born and raised in London, where he attended the St Joachim Primary School and St Bonaventure’s Catholic Comprehensive School. As a youngster Defoe played his football with Sunday League club, Senrar, where he soon caught the attention of Charlton Athletic talent scouts.

Charlton gave Dafoe’s football a boost by securing him a place at the FA National School of Excellence. Defoe didn’t waste any time in turning pro, and signed up with the West Ham United youth team. Dafoe helped his team win the Youth League as a 18-year-old and made his first team debut the same year.

Career

Jermaine Dafoe’s career at West Ham United took off during the 2000/2001 season, when he top-scored for the club despite starting from the bench for most of the season. The young striker performed admirably again the following season, but was forced to watch his club relegated to the Football Championship.

Following the relegation of West Ham United from the Premier League, Defoe joined Tottenham Hotspur, where he began the most successful period of his career, scoring 43 goals in 139 appearances for the London club. The striker fell out of favour at the club towards the 2008 season, and made the decision to move to a resurgent Portsmouth.

Defoe’s move to Portsmouth paid dividends, as he participated in the club’s FA Cup winning season. The following season saw Harry Redknapp, Dafoe’s long time manager and mentor, return to Tottenham Hotspur. Defoe soon followed suit, and is once again a key component in the Tottenham attack.

Jermaine Defoe Playing Style

Jermaine Defoe adds genuine pass and penetration to attack on both a club and national level. One of the few players in world football who is both a workhorse and an extremely gifted natural talent, Dafoe gives the attack direction and stability and should perfectly complement the more volatile genius of strike-partner Wayne Rooney.