EXCLUSIVE: I'm scoring for fun in Toronto already, says Defoe (and it doesn't matter whether it's a football or a basketball!)

By Matt Lawton

PUBLISHED: 17:00 EST, 21 March 2014 | UPDATED: 17:00 EST, 21 March 2014


Playing against Seattle, Jermain Defoe has already discovered, is rather more complicated than a trip to, say, Swansea. It’s not just the five hour flight and the three-hour time difference. It’s the fact that his new team left for that particular Saturday game on Wednesday afternoon, not returning home until the day after the match.

The stark contrast between life in North America’s Major League Soccer and the Barclays Premier League does not end there, however. To his surprise Defoe was required to give a pre-match interview.

During that precious time when he would normally be ‘getting in the zone’, he had to break off from his routine and answer some questions from the assembled media. And no sooner had he emerged from an ice bath after the game, wearing only a towel, than a microphone appeared under his nose.

VIDEO: Scroll down to watch Jermain Defoe playing basketball

Hoop dreams: Jermain Defoe plays basketball at the Air Canada Center, home of NBA side the Toronto Raptors

Hoop dreams: Jermain Defoe plays basketball at the Air Canada Center, home of NBA side the Toronto Raptors

Shooting star: Defoe lines up another attempt at a free throw, and he proved pretty good at them

Shooting star: Defoe lines up another attempt at a free throw, and he proved pretty good at them

Whole new ball game: Defoe is settling in to life in Canada and in the MLS

Whole new ball game: Defoe is settling in to life in Canada and in the MLS

Major player: Defoe is Toronto's star and will be looking to score more as he embraces life across the Atlantic

Major player: Defoe is Toronto's star and will be looking to score more as he embraces life across the Atlantic

Toronto rapture: Defoe looks relaxed as he talks about his new adventure in Canada
Looking back and forward: Defoe reminisces and gives his hopes for the future

Toronto rapture: Defoe looks relaxed as he talks about his new adventure in Canada

 
 

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The MLS let journalists in the dressing rooms like every other American sport, and last weekend they were eager to talk to the English guy who scored twice on his Toronto debut to secure an impressive 2-1 win. That he scored with his first two touches made him all the more popular.

In fairness Defoe seems pretty relaxed about the culture change. ‘I’m embracing everything as much as I can here,’ he says with a smile. ‘The five-hour flight was a bit strange. Another hour and I could have been home. But that’s the way things are. Big distances.’

Everything is big in North America’s fourth largest city. The condo he is renting, until he moves to a house in the suburbs, is more than 40 floors up and the NBA basketball stars who welcome him warmly into the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment franchise must appear almost as tall to the diminutive striker.

When he took his girlfriend to dinner at the top of the CN Tower they didn’t speak for 20 minutes, so taken aback were they by the view. A sprawling metropolis in one direction and the vast blue expanse of Lake Ontario in the other.

 
Needle match: Defoe gets out and about in downtown Toronto

Needle match: Defoe gets out and about in downtown Toronto

Poster boy: Defoe (centre) is the main image on the advert for Toronto's away kit

Poster boy: Defoe (centre) is the main image on the advert for Toronto's away kit

Room with a view: The screen in the huge sports bar at the Air Canada Center

Room with a view: The screen in the huge sports bar at the Air Canada Center

This Toronto sports franchise is pretty incredible too. We are in The Air Canada Centre that is home to the Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey team and the Toronto Raptors basketball team. They share a 20,000-seater arena that can host two ice hockey games and two basketball games in a week as well as the occasional rock concert.

On Wednesday evening the Maple Leafs were in action against Tampa Bay Lightning. Little more than 12 hours later and musicians were performing sound checks for a concert that night on a stage that only recently was occupied by Sir Elton John. Last night the Raptors were in action with the hockey team due back on the ice this evening.

Beyond the huge fan base in hockey-mad Ontario, it explains why the Maple Leafs are the richest franchise in the NHL. Estimates value them north of a billion US dollars, with the private company now paying Defoe’s wages thought to be worth around double that.

Such financial muscle was partly what attracted Defoe to this place, and not just because they were offering him a four-year contract worth in the region of £16million. No, it was the ambition of the man who lured David Beckham to the MLS when he was in charge at LA Galaxy.

Put your shirt on them: Inside Toronto's impressively large club shop

Put your shirt on them: Inside Toronto's impressively large club shop

The magic number: Toronto shirts with '18 Defoe on the back hanging up in the shop waiting to be sold

The magic number: Toronto shirts with '18 Defoe on the back hanging up in the shop waiting to be sold

Support act: A poster in the Air Canada Center thanking the fans of all the franchise's sporting teams

Support act: A poster in the Air Canada Center thanking the fans of all the franchise's sporting teams

Tim Leiweke, now the president and CEO of MLSE having previously performed the same role at the Anschutz Entertainment Group that owns the Galaxy, sold the MLS to Defoe.

‘He is so ambitious,’ says Defoe of Leiweke. ‘He wants to achieve great things here and when I sat down with him and I was just blown away.

Unveiling: Defoe (left) with fellow Toronto new boy Michael Bradley

Unveiling: Defoe (left) with fellow Toronto new boy Michael Bradley

‘He got David Beckham over here too and I got a text from David telling me Tim was an amazing guy and that I’d love the MLS. And, of course, I knew the manager here too; from my time at Tottenham. Ryan Nelsen sold the club to me as well.’

It was Leiweke who came up with the idea of ‘Designated Players’ for the MLS. It enabled each club to have three players who exist beyond the limitations of the MLS wage structure and it was originally designed to meet Beckham’s salary requirements. Now Defoe is a ‘DP’ at Toronto, along with Michael Bradley – the American international signed from Roma – and Julio Cesar, the Brazilian goalkeeper here on loan from QPR.

Until now, Toronto have not made much of an impression in the MLS but it is Leiweke’s intention to change that. Home to Toronto FC is the 21,000-seater BMO Field but a $120million investment will see it expand to 30,000 seats – with the ability to extend to 40,000 – with a roof thrown in for good measure.

Add to that the multi-million dollar new training ground and even the ‘soccer’ franchise is smart enough to impress Defoe. ‘The training ground is great,’ says Defoe, having arrived an hour early on his first day a fortnight ago.

He is a few minutes early for this interview, even if he proves a little reluctant to first stand in the light snow for a photograph that takes in Toronto’s most famous landmark.

A request to then shoot some baskets on the Raptors practice court is met with more enthusiasm, though. ‘Really?’ he says excitedly. ‘Oh yeah, let’s do it.’

He played basketball at school in east London and, despite his size, proves pretty good, eventually nailing five free-throws in a row.

‘The whole city is crazy about sport,’ says Defoe. ‘And to be part of that is very exciting.

Dream start: Defoe scored twice on his debut for Toronto, with virtually his first two touches

Dream start: Defoe scored twice on his debut for Toronto, with virtually his first two touches

Deadly: Defoe scores his first goal for Toronto against the Seattle Sounders

Deadly: Defoe scores his first goal for Toronto against the Seattle Sounders

Watching it all the way: Defoe keeps his eye on the ball as it rolls into the corner of the goal

Watching it all the way: Defoe keeps his eye on the ball as it rolls into the corner of the goal

‘So far I’ve been impressed with everything. We have a great bunch of lads here and the game against Seattle was tough. The league is improving so much, year by year.

'The players coming into the league now have been there and done it. Seattle had Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins, and Djimi Traore, who won a Champions League with Liverpool. These are players with experience.’

BRITS ABROAD

Jermain Defoe is not the first Brit to head for North America...

2007-12 David Beckham (LA Galaxy)

1982-83 Peter Beardsley (Vancouver Whitecaps)

1976-82 George Best (LA Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, San Jose Earthquakes)

1978 Bobby Moore (Seattle Sounders)

1976 Geoff Hurst (Seattle Sounders)

1972 Graeme Souness (Montreal Olympique)

Experience told 31-year-old Defoe it was time to leave Tottenham for a fresh challenge and, more importantly, regular first team football.  

‘I had an amazing time at Tottenham,’ he says. ‘Not long before I left I beat the European goalscoring record.

‘It was great but going into the final year of my contract there weren’t really any discussions about extending it.

'Toronto had come in and shown a huge interest, and I guess the money they were offering for a player of my age was difficult for Tottenham to turn down.

'It was good business for the club. I suppose it made sense to let me go.’

There were, he says, ‘other offers’. But Toronto made sense to him too, even when considering the impact it might yet have on his chances of securing a place in Roy Hodgson’s England squad for this summer’s World Cup.

Head and shoulders above: Defoe is hoisted up by his Tottenham team-mates following his final match

Head and shoulders above: Defoe is hoisted up by his Tottenham team-mates following his final match

Acclaim at the Lane: Defoe saying goodbye to the crowd at half-time of the Europa League clash with Dnipro

Acclaim at the Lane: Defoe saying goodbye to the crowd at half-time of the Europa League clash with Dnipro

‘Michael Bradley took the same decision,’ he says. ‘He was at Roma but he wasn’t playing much and he wants to play. At the end of the day you need to be playing regularly and playing well to get into a World Cup squad. You can’t be at a club where you’re not playing.

‘Playing for a big club like Tottenham for all those years – nine years in total – is something I’m proud of. I had some great moments, playing with some great players.

The only way is up: Defoe had been a peripheral figure for Spurs this season

The only way is up: Defoe had been a peripheral figure for Spurs this season

‘But in life opportunities come along that you sometimes have to seize. This is a fresh start for me.’

He is right to reflect on his career in England with pride. A career most memorable for a sharp eye for goal.

He was the 20th player to score 100 Premier League goals; the fifth highest goalscorer in Tottenham’s history and the Premier League record holder for goals scored after coming off the bench. With his 22nd, he points out, he took the record off Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. ‘Although I did have the advantage of starting very young at West Ham,’ he says out of respect to the former Manchester United striker now managing Cardiff.

Defoe fondly recalls those early days at West Ham under the guidance of Harry Redknapp. He was 16 and not only training with Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard but Paolo Di Canio and Ian Wright.

‘I remember passing my driving test, first time, and buying my first car,’ he says. ‘It was a silver Vauxhall Tigra. To be honest, when I was young I didn’t really care about things like cars. I just wanted to play football. But I was excited about driving to Chadwell Heath and I remember driving in and parking up next to Di Canio’s convertible Jag. For the first time I felt like a proper professional footballer.

‘The young lads today should be thinking about their football first, before any of that other stuff.

‘When I was a kid I had all these DVDs. I would study them. I’d study forwards. I had one of all Ian Wright’s goals. I had one of Ronaldo. I’d study their runs. How they dealt with being one-on-one with the keeper. I was always looking to improve.

‘When I got to train with Wrighty at 16 it was amazing. What a player. What a legend. He would have played for free. He just loved scoring goals. I had posters of him all over my bedroom wall. Next thing I know I’m doing finishing practice with him after training. He helped me a lot. Talked to me about when to make my runs.’

Defoe delight: The striker celebrates after scoring in the Premier League against Crystal Palace

Defoe delight: The striker celebrates after scoring in the Premier League against Crystal Palace

No great shakes: Defoe and Andre Villas-Boas greet each other at training but the striker spent spells on the bench under the Portuguese manager

No great shakes: Defoe and Andre Villas-Boas greet each other at training but the striker spent spells on the bench under the Portuguese manager

Wright taught him well but there were spells is his career when he was desperately unlucky and perhaps a little unloved too. He certainly sat on the bench more than he would have wanted, and I suggest he was a victim of a cultural change in football that made it more difficult for forwards of his ilk.

‘I suppose years ago it was more 4-4-2,’ he says. ‘But I scored a lot of goals in a 4-2-3-1. Under AVB (Andre Villas-Boas) in the first half of the season I scored 10 league goals. And the first time I played 4-2-3-1, under Fabio Capello for England against Bulgaria, I scored a hat-trick.

‘But I did spend quite a lot of time on the bench. Especially towards the end. It was frustrating but it’s partly because football has become all about the squad. It’s more difficult to get into a rhythm. You play two games and then you’re out for two games.

‘Last season I scored a hat-trick in Europe and then AVB wanted to play (Emmanuel) Adebayor up front on his own against Man City. I guess years ago that wouldn’t have happened. You wouldn’t leave out a forward who’s scoring goals for you.’

Doing it on the big stage: Defoe scores for Tottenham in the Champions League against Young Boys in 2010

Doing it on the big stage: Defoe scores for Tottenham in the Champions League against Young Boys in 2010

First spell: Defoe nets against Leicester shortly after joining Tottenham in 2004

First spell: Defoe nets against Leicester shortly after joining Tottenham in 2004

He has never won a major trophy. ‘I was unfortunate at times,’ he says. ‘When I left Tottenham the first time (in January 2008) I missed out on two cup finals that season because Tottenham then won the League Cup and I was cup-tied when Portsmouth then won the FA Cup.

‘When I then went back to Tottenham and we got to another final, I was out with a broken foot.

‘I’m sure a lot of players have probably left Tottenham feeling much the same as I do. We had so many great players and got so close but didn’t win anything.

‘But I’m still proud to have scored as many goals as I did for the club, in competitions like the Champions League.’

Happy Hammer: Defoe started his career at West Ham and rose to prominence while at Upton Park

Happy Hammer: Defoe started his career at West Ham and rose to prominence while at Upton Park

Play up: Defoe with strike partner Peter Crouch during his successful spell at Portsmouth

Play up: Defoe with strike partner Peter Crouch during his successful spell at Portsmouth

He is proud to have scored 19 goals in 55 appearances for England too, with his goal at the last World Cup, the all-important winner in the final group game against Slovenia, the moment he considers the finest of his career to date.   

There is no bitterness. Not towards the Tottenham managers who sometimes frustrated him. Not towards Daniel Levy for sacking the manager he most enjoyed working for either. ‘Harry was fantastic for me,’ says Defoe. ‘For a start I knew he’d pick me. But I can’t question what happened.

‘It wasn’t my decision. I’m not the chairman. I’m just there to do my job and if the chairman makes a decision you have to respect it as players. Even if you’re the captain of the club I think you have to respect the fact that they have their job to do too.

Finest moment of his career: Defoe scores for England against Slovakia at the 2010 World Cup

Finest moment of his career: Defoe scores for England against Slovakia at the 2010 World Cup

‘AVB kept playing me in the Europa League. I think I scored something like nine goals in nine games but I still wasn’t getting the opportunity to play in the league. There was nothing I could do about it but at the same time there was no point me going to the manager to complain. He knows I’ve scored in Europe. It’s up to him if he doesn’t want to pick me in the league.’

There should be no such issues come today’s encounter with DC United. His home debut for Toronto is sure to be marked by another start. Probably more goals too.

But we are still talking about the past, and a request to identify the finest defender he encountered is met with a detailed response.

‘Rio was brilliant,’ he says. ‘I always really respected Rio. He was so natural in that position. John Terry. Vincent Kompany. Great defenders. Jonathan Woodgate was a top player but unfortunate with injury.

The best: Defoe with the defender he regards as the finest he has encountered, Ledley King

The best: Defoe with the defender he regards as the finest he has encountered, Ledley King

‘But for me Ledley King was the best. I think about players like Ledley and Woody because they had to stop playing so early. I’m sitting here at 31 with a new four year contract and I feel very lucky.

‘Ledley was amazing. He couldn’t train because of his knee problems but he’d still be unbelievable on a Saturday. He read the game so well. You’d never see him making those last-ditch tackles and diving in; the classic defender tackles. Like a John Terry. Because he’d always read it so well he was already in the right place at the right time.

‘And he didn’t know if he was left or right footed because he was so comfortable on both. We’d ask him and he’d say “I don’t know”. He was hilarious. So good, so technically gifted he could play in midfield too. And he was quick, strong, calm under pressure. The best.’

Scoring against MLS defenders should be a bit easier.

 

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Cheers Jermain, hope your footy goes as well too..................

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Out of sight out of mind!!! You've blown it mate!!!!!!!!!!

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deffo one of the good guys. good luck to the little dwarf

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In my eyes he has to go to Brazil this summer... anyone else agree?

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My granny would also score 20 goals a season in the MLS. Having said that, Defoe's not been there long enough to lose his edge. I'd definitely take him to Brazil.

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England need Defoe for the World Cup. He's always done a fantastic job for his country, and he's still one of the best strikers in the game.

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Fair play to Jermain - he's one of the good guys. Does a lot of work for charity, always has time for the fans and keeps his family and friends close to his heart. And he's a Spurs legend to boot!

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Don't know why he shouldn't go to Brazil just because he plays in the MLS, it's fine for the US team and they got just as far as we did in 2010.

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Canadian team not US.

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Defoe had to break off from his normal routine to answer questions....doh

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Villa should have snapped him up quick time

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