An ode to Defoe: Top five moments as a Tottenham player
Published:His current manager has described him as a Tottenham legend in the mould of Jimmy Greaves and it’s hard to disagree with Tim Sherwood as the club prepare to wave goodbye to Jermain Defoe, who is bound for Toronto FC in the MLS.
Defoe will be given a chance to wave goodbye to the White Hart Lane faithful at half-time of Spurs’ Europa League second-leg clash with Dnipro where the Premier League side can be backed at 17/20 to qualify despite trailing 1-0.
So, two stints, 276 appearances and 143 goals later, 31-year-old Defoe is finally calling time on his Lillywhites career as he swaps football for soccer across the pond and we’ve put together a farewell list of defining Spurs moments in his honour.
Scoring five goals in one Premier League game
Back in November 2009 Defoe helped himself to five goals in a 9-1 rout of Wigan. All the goals arrived in the second-half, including a hat-trick within a devastating seven-minute spell.
Becoming Tottenham’s leading goal scorer in European competition
Earlier on this season, during Tottenham’s Europa League group stage win over Sheriff, Defoe slotted home a penalty to move one ahead of Martin Chivers as the club’s leading scorer in Europe with 23.
Bagging his 200th Tottenham goal
At the beginning of the 2012/13 campaign new manager Andre Villas-Boas opted to build the team around Defoe as the lone striker and was duly rewarded with a flurry of Premier League goals. His 200th for the club arrived in October 2012 against Chelsea.
Scoring an England hat-trick against Bulgaria
Defoe has scored 19 times for England and as reward for his efforts in a Spurs shirt he bagged himself a hat-trick in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Bulgaria, drawing praise from then manager Fabio Capello.
Scoring more Premier League goals as a sub than anyone else
Not necessarily a feat Defoe would want to be closely associated with, as anyone as prolific as the England man deserved more starts, but nonetheless this is a record to be proud of.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
Fancy a flutter? Sign up today to claim up to £50 in free bets.
