West Ham United Defoe was spotted playing football by
Charlton Athletic who enrolled him at the FA National School of Excellence at
Lilleshall Hall in 1997. Shortly thereafter, he joined
Second Division club
AFC Bournemouth on a near season-long
loan, where he scored in ten consecutive matches, equalling
John Aldridge's and
Clarrie Jordan's post-war record. He scored 18 goals in 29 league appearances for Bournemouth. Defoe finished as West Ham's top scorer in the 2001–02 season despite being used primarily as a substitute by manager
Glenn Roeder, He scored a further 11 goals in 42 league and cup appearances in 2002–03 Less than 24 hours after the club had been relegated, Defoe made a written request for a transfer, saying, "As much as I love West Ham United I feel that now is the right time for me to move on in my career. This is very much a career decision. I am very ambitious and hungry to achieve at the highest levels of the game for both club and country." The timing of his request, however, drew criticism from both fans and teammates and was turned down by the club. He later apologised to supporters, saying, "I mishandled that move and I can only apologise. I'm young and I've learned from it. I still played my hardest for West Ham and gave them 100% and want to thank the fans for their support." Defoe began 2003–04 with West Ham but a refusal to sign a new contract and disciplinary problems, including three sendings-off, which saw him play only 22 matches out of a possible 34, led to West Ham accepting an offer from
Tottenham Hotspur for him in the January transfer window.
Tottenham Hotspur Defoe joined Tottenham in February 2004 for an initial fee of £6 million, rising to £7 million depending on "specific performance criteria", and with
Bobby Zamora joining West Ham. Defoe marked his arrival at Tottenham with a goal on his debut in the 4–3 home win over
Portsmouth in February 2004 and added a further six in the remainder of
2003–04, scoring 7 goals in 15 matches. and nine goals in eight matches in the
FA Cup and
League Cup, in
2004–05. Despite speculation linking him with other clubs, Defoe signed a new four-and-a-half-year contract with Tottenham in April 2005. The following season was not as profitable for Defoe, and Spurs manager
Martin Jol used Defoe in rotation with
Robbie Keane,
Dimitar Berbatov and
Mido providing the competition for a starting position. Defoe started 23 times and came on as substitute 13 times, scoring nine goals.
The FA declined to take action against Defoe as the referee,
Steve Bennett, had booked Defoe for the incident. Defoe scored his 50th goal for Tottenham in the 2–1 win over
Aston Villa on Boxing Day in December 2006, in which he scored both goals, and scored in Tottenham's 2–0 win over Charlton in May 2007, which condemned his former club to relegation to the
Championship. During the summer of 2007, there was speculation about Defoe's future at Tottenham following the arrival of
Darren Bent for a fee of £16.5 million. However, Defoe insisted that he would stay at Tottenham and fight for his place, saying, "I'm really excited about the new season and the prospect of another campaign in Europe. We have made some good signings and are now stronger and better equipped to compete in all competitions." On 20 September 2007, Defoe came on as a substitute against Cypriot club
Anorthosis Famagusta to score twice in a 6–1 win, his first goals of the season. On 25 November 2007, he missed a penalty against former club West Ham at the
Boleyn Ground in added time which would have won the match for Spurs; the match finished 1–1.
Portsmouth Defoe joined Portsmouth in January 2008 for £7.5 million. He scored the equalising goal on his debut, a 1–1 draw at home to
Chelsea. In March 2008, he was unable to play against Tottenham as the Premier League ruled that he was ineligible to do so as he was initially signed on loan in January 2008. In Portsmouth's match against
Wigan Athletic the following week, he scored twice; in so doing, he became the first ever Portsmouth player to score in his first five home matches. Due to appearances in Tottenham's third and fourth round ties, Defoe found himself
cup-tied for all the subsequent matches of Pompey's successful
2007–08 FA Cup campaign. This also meant that he missed out on playing in Spurs'
League Cup final victory over Chelsea, however he still received his winners' medal, albeit 10 years later, in December 2018. Defoe ended
2007–08 with eight goals in 12 appearances for Portsmouth. and then scored their first home goals on 13 September with a brace against
Middlesbrough. Five days later, he contributed a goal and an assist in Pompey's first ever major European match, a 2–0 UEFA Cup
first round win over Portuguese club
Vitória de Guimarães on 18 September.
Return to Tottenham In January 2009, Portsmouth chairman
Peter Storrie revealed Defoe's intentions to leave the club in the near future. This came after joining the club only in the same transfer window of the previous year. It was reported that Defoe's former club Tottenham made a formal approach for the striker, but no agreement was reached; Spurs manager Harry Redknapp described the clubs as "miles apart in their valuation of the player", suggesting that Portsmouth wanted "in excess of £20 million". After negotiations, Portsmouth accepted a bid from Tottenham thought to be around £15.75 million (including fees owed to Tottenham for the previous transfers of
Younès Kaboul and
Pedro Mendes and waiving a £4 million sell-on clause that had also been negotiated during his transfer from Spurs to Portsmouth) on 6 January 2009. The player had agreed to a five-year contract and was confirmed as a Tottenham player by his new club on 9 January 2009. Defoe was presented at
White Hart Lane with a carnival atmosphere before the start of Spurs'
League Cup clash against
Burnley after his return to White Hart Lane.
2008–09 season Defoe made his return debut on 11 January 2009 in a Premier League match against Wigan Athletic. He scored his first goal against former club Portsmouth at White Hart Lane on 18 January 2009, in a match which finished 1–1. He also scored his team's second goal in the League Cup semi-final second leg loss at Burnley, which helped Spurs book a place in
the final with a 6–4
aggregate win. He scored three goals in his first four matches before suffering a broken foot which meant that he returned for Spurs against
Newcastle United on 19 April in which the club won 1–0. This injury meant he missed Spurs' appearance in the
2009 Football League Cup Final. He scored his first goal since his return from injury in a 2–1 win against
Manchester City and helped his team secure eighth place in the league.
2009–10 season On 19 August 2009, Defoe scored his first
hat-trick for Tottenham in a 5–1 away victory over
Hull City in the second match of the
2009–10 Premier League. Following the match, his manager Harry Redknapp stated his high opinion of Defoe: "With Cristiano Ronaldo|[Cristiano] Ronaldo gone, he can push to be the [Premier League] top scorer." After a fine run of form which saw him score seven goals for club and country, Defoe was named
Premier League Player of the Month for
August 2009. On 12 September 2009, Defoe scored after 38 seconds with an overhead kick against
2008–09 Premier League champions Manchester United in a match which ended in a 3–1 loss for Tottenham, taking his tally for the 2009–10 league season to five goals in five matches. On 23 September 2009, Defoe scored a header during Tottenham's 5–1 win over
Preston. Defoe scored a goal and was sent off during the match against his former club, Portsmouth. Defoe scored five goals at White Hart Lane in a 9–1 thrashing of Wigan on 22 November 2009. This included the second-fastest hat-trick in Premier League history, which was scored in seven minutes. In doing so, Defoe became only the third player to score five goals in one Premier League match, after
Alan Shearer and
Andy Cole. Dimitar Berbatov and
Sergio Agüero have subsequently equalled this feat. After the match, Harry Redknapp further asserted his belief that Defoe would go on to be the Premier League's top scorer in 2009–10. Redknapp later said that although
Wayne Rooney is the best all-round attacking player, Defoe is the best finisher in England and should be a regular for the England national team. On 3 February, Defoe claimed his third hat-trick of the season in an
FA Cup fourth-round replay against
Leeds United at
Elland Road, with Spurs winning 3–1. His rich vein of form continued on 21 February with another goal in the Premier League, against Wigan. Defoe's next goal was a penalty in Tottenham's win against Chelsea, which itself followed a famous 2–1 win over Arsenal. This took his tally to 24 goals for the season.
2010–11 season Defoe played his part in Tottenham qualifying for the
UEFA Champions League group stage, thanks to a controversial goal against
Young Boys, where he appeared to use his arm before scoring the second goal of the match, which finished 4–0 to Tottenham. He was injured in the beginning of September when he was on duty with England, He made his comeback in Tottenham's 3–2 victory against Arsenal in the
North London derby. He won a header which started the attack in which
Gareth Bale scored five minutes in the second half to begin the comeback from 2–0 down to a 3–2 victory. On 26 December 2010, Defoe received a straight red card, his first of the season and first since 17 October 2009, in a match at Aston Villa; his team leading at the time went on to secure the win despite playing over an hour with ten men. Defoe began Tottenham's
2010–11 FA Cup campaign with a brace of goals in the third round match at home to Charlton Athletic on 9 January 2011, with Spurs winning 3–0, but in the following round, they were defeated by
Fulham. In the
2010–11 Premier League, Defoe scored his first league goals of the season on 6 March 2011 against
Wolverhampton Wanderers, getting the first two for Spurs in a 3–3 draw. He scored his third goal of the 2010–11 season with a long-range shot with his left foot against
West Bromwich Albion. This was a triple landmark for Defoe, as it was his 100th Premier League goal as well as his 100th goal scored as a Tottenham player. In addition, it signified the 1,000th goal scored for Tottenham in the Premier League era.
2011–12 season in 2011 In pre-season, Defoe scored two goals, one coming in a 3–0 win against
Orlando Pirates on 23 July, and the other in a 2–1 win against
Athletic Bilbao at White Hart Lane on 6 August. Defoe started
2011–12 by scoring in a 5–0 win against
Hearts in a
UEFA Europa League play-off match on 18 August. His first Premier League goal of
the season came in a 2–0 win at Wolves, scoring the second goal after exchanging passes with
Niko Kranjčar. Defoe's first goal of 2012 came in a 1–0 home win against West Brom, converting a Gareth Bale cross. He scored on the last day of the season against Fulham, the second in a 2–0 win. Defoe ended the season with 17 goals in 38 matches across all competitions;
2012–13 season Defoe started by scoring on the opening day of the
2012–13 Premier League against Newcastle United in a 2–1 defeat. On 30 August 2012, Defoe signed a new three-year contract with Tottenham. He scored the 200th goal of his club career in a 4–2 defeat to Chelsea on 20 October and on 8 November, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 win against Slovenian club
Maribor in the
Europa League. In doing so, he overtook Teddy Sheringham on Tottenham's all-time goalscorers list. On 21 April 2013, Defoe scored his 15th goal of the season in the home match against Manchester City, a 3–1 win. The goal took him level with
Alan Gilzean in joint-seventh place on the all-time Tottenham scorers list.
2013–14 season Defoe started
2013–14 as a
substitute, with newly signed striker
Roberto Soldado starting for Tottenham. Nonetheless, manager
André Villas-Boas used him as a first-choice striker for their opening matches in the
Europa League, and on 29 August he scored his first goals of the campaign in a 3–0 home win against
Dinamo Tbilisi. The result took Tottenham through to the group stages via an 8–0 aggregate victory after winning 5–0 in the first leg. On 24 September 2013, Defoe scored another two in a 4–0 win against Aston Villa in the
League Cup, which took his tally for Tottenham to 139 goals, moving him past
George Hunt as the club's fifth-highest scorer of all time. His goal on 3 October against
Anzhi Makhachkala in a 2–0 win took him to one short of the club's all-time record of 22 held by Chivers. Two further goals, against
Sheriff Tiraspol in two consecutive fixtures in the Europa League, saw Defoe with 23 European goals, one more than Chivers' previous record as Tottenham's highest European goalscorer. Defoe said Chivers had been at the match and had encouraged him to beat his record.
Toronto FC in 2014 On 10 January 2014, Tottenham announced that Defoe was leaving to join
Major League Soccer (MLS) club
Toronto FC, effective 28 February 2014. He agreed to a four-year deal worth between £68,000–90,000 per week. Toronto began its pursuit of Defoe the previous October, when the team management – which included Defoe's ex-Tottenham teammate
Ryan Nelsen – met with him in London, and he received phone calls from rapper
Drake, a
Toronto native. The transfer also included an agreement between Tottenham Hotspur and Toronto's owners,
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, involving marketing, merchandise and broadcast rights, as well as a friendly match during Tottenham's North American tour in July 2014. Defoe was immediately loaned back to Tottenham until the end of February 2014, with whom he made two more appearances as a substitute. Defoe debuted with Toronto in their season opener at
Seattle Sounders FC on 15 March 2014, scoring both goals in their 2–1 victory. On 31 August 2014, Toronto FC called a press conference to fire manager Nelsen; during the press conference, the general manager
Tim Bezbatchenko was non-committal on Defoe's future at the club, implying that the player might be unsettled and that the club would entertain offers in excess of the £6 million paid for the striker. He said, "We're speaking with him [Defoe] and then we'll make a decision. We'll discuss it over the next 24 hours."
Sunderland 2014–15 season in 2015 On 16 January 2015, Defoe joined Premier League club
Sunderland after agreeing to a three-and-a-half-year deal, as part of a player exchange deal sending
Jozy Altidore to Toronto FC, after completing only 11 months of his four-year deal with Toronto. He made his Sunderland debut the following day against former club Tottenham. Defoe started the match but was goalless when he was substituted after 75 minutes, ending his record of scoring on his first appearance for every club he has played for. Defoe scored his first Sunderland goal on his home debut in a 2–0 victory over Burnley on 31 January 2015. His second goal came the following week on 7 February 2015, where he scored the opening goal in a 1–1 draw away to
Swansea City. On 5 April, he scored the only goal in the
Tyne–Wear derby victory over Newcastle with a 22-yard volley to end a sequence of eight matches without a win, and their first victory under the management of
Dick Advocaat. The emotion of scoring the goal caused him to cry. On 9 May, Defoe scored his fourth goal of the season in a 2–0 win against Everton at
Goodison Park, a result which moved Sunderland out of the relegation zone and gave Everton their first home defeat of 2015.
2015–16 season On the opening day of the
2015–16 Premier League, Defoe scored in a 4–2 loss at
Leicester City, meaning he had scored in 15 Premier League seasons. On 25 August, he scored a hat-trick in a 6–3 home win over
Exeter City in the second round of the
League Cup. Defoe then scored twice in Sunderland's opening match of 2016, a 3–1 defeat of Aston Villa on 2 January. In the team's next league fixture, he scored a hat-trick against Swansea City in a 4–2 win at the
Liberty Stadium. On 6 February, Defoe scored an 89th-minute equaliser against
Liverpool as Sunderland came from 2–0 down to draw the match. On 16 March, Defoe opened the scoring away to Newcastle as the Tyne–Wear derby was drawn 1–1. On 16 April 2016, Defoe scored Sunderland's second goal in a crucial 3–0 away victory over fellow strugglers Norwich, which left Sunderland one point from safety. On 7 May 2016, Defoe scored the winning goal against Chelsea, moving Sunderland out of the bottom three, and taking his Premier League tally to 15 for the season. Defoe was part of the Sunderland squad on the matchday when they secured their Premier League status with a 3–0 home win over Everton on 11 May 2016. Defoe ended the season as Sunderland's top scorer with 15 league goals, and was also named the club's player of the season. On 9 June, Defoe signed a new contract with Sunderland, committing his future to the club until 2019.
2016–17 season On 13 August 2016, the opening day of the
2016–17 Premier League, Defoe scored in a 2–1 loss at Manchester City, meaning he has now scored in 16 Premier League seasons. On 5 November 2016, Defoe scored the winning goal from the penalty spot as 10-man Sunderland came from behind to win at Bournemouth, their first league win of the season. On 19 November 2016, Defoe scored his 150th Premier League goal in a 3–0 home win against Hull City, becoming the joint seventh highest goal scorer in Premier League history. In January 2017, with Sunderland lying in the relegation zone, Defoe was linked with a return to former club West Ham United. However, Sunderland rejected a bid in the region of £6 million, with manager
David Moyes describing Defoe as "priceless".
AFC Bournemouth in 2017 In April 2017, Defoe hinted that he may leave Sunderland, if the club were to be relegated at the end of the 2016–17 Premier League. He was linked with a possible transfer to Newcastle United, and potential returns to former clubs Bournemouth and West Ham United. Sunderland's relegation was confirmed later that month. On 23 June, it was confirmed that Defoe had signed a contract with Bournemouth on a free transfer, leaving Sunderland on 1 July. He had previously played for the club in the
2000–01 season, on loan from West Ham United. On 16 September 2017, Defoe scored the winning goal and his first goal since his return to Bournemouth in a 2–1 home win against
Brighton, providing the team with its first victory in the
2017–18 Premier League season, meaning he had scored in 17 different Premier League seasons.
Rangers After making only eight appearances for Bournemouth in the
2018–19 season, Defoe joined
Scottish Premiership club
Rangers on 6 January 2019 on an 18-month loan, with two recall clauses inserted into the deal, which could have been activated in July 2019 or January 2020. On 23 January 2019, he scored a debut goal for Rangers against
Kilmarnock, which meant he had scored a debut goal for 5 of his last 7 clubs. After scoring in a game on 27 September 2019 he was involved in a car accident. On 25 January 2020, it was announced that Defoe had signed a pre-contract agreement with Rangers, and would join the club permanently on a one-year deal, at the expiry of his Bournemouth contract in June 2020. Defoe joined Rangers permanently in the summer transfer window of the 2020–21 season. He scored his 300th career club goal, against
Livingston on 25 October 2020. On 8 June 2021, Defoe signed a new one-year deal with Rangers to keep him at the club. As part of the contract, he also became a coach at the club. On 15 November 2021, following the departure of manager,
Steven Gerrard from Rangers to Aston Villa, Defoe was named as part of a four-man caretaker team responsible for leading the club during the pursuit of a new permanent head coach. On 12 January 2022, Defoe departed Rangers.
Return to Sunderland On 31 January 2022, Defoe re-signed for Sunderland on a short-term deal until the end of the
2021–22 season. Defoe made his 2nd debut for Sunderland in a 2-1 to loss to
Doncaster Rovers at the Stadium of Light on 5 February. On 24 March 2022 he announced his retirement from professional football. ==International career==