This week marked the end of a career that spanned two decades as former Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe decided to hang up his boots and retire. The 39-year-old played for several clubs, but it’s with Spurs that the forward enjoyed the most success.
Defoe made 362 appearances for the north London club, scoring 143 goals and registering 32 assists. In an interview with Tottenham’s official website, Defoe reflected on his time with the north London club and tried to sum up his stint with Spurs.
“I’ve so many memories from my time at Spurs, so many moments I’ll always remember, starting from my debut goal,” Defoe said. “It happened all so quickly, from signing on deadline day, then within a few days I’m playing, and I scored on my debut against Shaka Hislop, a goalkeeper who I’d trained with for years as a kid at West Ham.
“That meant a lot, because when you score on your debut for a club like Tottenham, that says, ‘okay, I’ve arrived now, I’m good enough to be there’. Memories like that, they are there for life.”
The former Spurs forward then discussed one of his favorite memories while with the club, and he went to his five-goal performance against Wigan, which stands out to him during his tenure, calling that fixture a “crazy” one.
“I always talk about that Wigan game, scoring five goals in the 9-1 (November, 2009),” Defoe said. “That was so special, scoring five goals not just in a game, but in a half! It was 1-1 at half-time! It’s crazy when you look back at it. One thing for sure, it shows the quality of the players in the squad at the time.”
Defoe was also part of the squad that won the EFL Cup during the 2007-08 season when they defeated Chelsea. Furthermore, that season would be the last that any Spurs team has lifted any silverware.