What happened to former Tottenham and England striker Jermain Defoe and where is he now?
JERMAIN Defoe is an ex professional footballer who has played for top Premier League teams during his career.
But what has he been up to since retiring from professional football? Read on to find out.
Who is former Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe and what other teams did he play for?
Jermain Colin Defoe was born on October 7, 1982, in Beckton, England.
He used to be a striker for the Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur.
He got his start in youth football, playing from 1997-1999 before moving up to senior level.
He played professional football from 1994 until 2022 for a variety of Premier League teams.
He began his career with Charlton Athletic, joining their youth team aged 14, before moving to West Ham United when he was 16.
Defoe made his first team appearance for West Ham in 2000 and was then loaned to AFC Bournemouth for a season.
He returned to West Ham, establishing himself in their lineup before the team was relegated in 2003.
Following their relegation, Defoe moved to Tottenham Hotspur in January 2004.
He played for Hotspur for four years before being sold to Portsmouth in January 2008.
He played there for one season before returning to Hotspur in January 2009.
He left Hotspur for the United States in 2014, playing in the MLS for Toronto FC for a season before returning to the UK in 2015 where he signed with Sunderland FC.
He played for Sunderland until the team was relegated from the Premier League in 2017.
He moved to Bournemouth briefly in 2017b before joining Scottish team Rangers in 2018.
He was involved in the Rangers winning the 2020/21 league title, his first and only throughout his career.
The striker also played internationally for the England national football team.
He made his England debut in 2004, making 57 appearances and scoring 20 goals.
During his playing career, Defoe achieved many impressive achievements.
He became the 20th player to score a century (100) of Premier League goals in 2011.
He is in the top ten scorers in Premier League history, as well as being in the top ten scorers in Tottenham’s history.
On November 19, 2016, he scored his 150th Premier League goal, becoming the joint tenth highest goal scorer in Premier League history.
Defoe also holds the record for the most goals scored as a substitute in the Premier League with 24 goals.
Where is Jermain Defoe now?
Defoe now coaches youth football, returning to Tottenham Hotspur as an ambassador and academy coach in 2022.
He was then appointed as coach of their under-18 team.
In this role, Defoe said he hopes to inspire more black coaches and managers.
Who is Jermain Defoe married to?
Jermain’s wedding to his Scottish partner Donna Tierney was a lavish £200,000 affair.
The ceremony was featured in OK! Magazine, taking up the cover and 14 pages.
However, it was reported that the couple split up six months later, spending Christmas thousands of miles apart.
Apparently, there was no record of the couple legally getting married.
In an exclusive with the Sun, she said: “Of course we did. I’ve heard these rumours, I don’t know where they’ve come from.”
What is Jermain Defoe’s net worth?
After a successful professional football career and lucrative deals, the former striker remains quite wealthy in his retirement.
According to reports, Defoe’s net worth is around £20 million.