Jermain Defoe stats and net worth including England and Tottenham goal records as striker retires

Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe has announced his retirement from football, only two months after he rejoined the Black Cats.

The 39-year-old departed Rangers in January and opted to return to the Stadium of Light for ‘one last dance’ before his retirement.

Defoe was a fans’ favourite on Wearside but struggled to make an impact second time round and has called time on his playing career early.

In a statement made on social media, Defoe explained that it had been a “tough decision” and that he now will “look forward to spending some quality time with my friends and family before moving forward on this next chapter in my career.”

Jermain Defoe career stats

Defoe enjoyed an excellent playing career, making his professional debut for West Ham before going on to play for a host of clubs including Tottenham, Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Rangers.

His time with Spurs was particularly notable, scoring 143 goals over 363 appearances for the north London club.

He won Tottenham’s Player of the Year award in 2004 and also made his international debut for England in the same year, going on to earn 57 caps for the Three Lions and scoring 20 goals in the process.

The former striker is the ninth top Premier League goalscorer of all time with 162 goals, whilst also making an impression outside of England with Toronto FC and Rangers too, helping the latter to their first top flight title in ten years.

It is claimed that Defoe has a net worth of $20million by several websites, but the real figures are unclear.