Jermain Defoe compared his Deadline Day return to Sunderland to a fairy tale.
Supporters were sent wild when the long-awaited news was confirmed by the Black Cats in the small hours of Tuesday morning.
The 39-year-old fulfilled his promise of coming back to the club that he spent two and a half years with between January 2015 and June 2017 and, unsurprisingly, he was delighted with his return to Wearside.
He arrives at a club in a very different state to when he first joined but he admitted that it was something of a dream move as he prepares to add to the 37 goals he scored at the club last time around.
“I can’t stop smiling, it’s mad to be honest,” he told Sunderland’s official YouTube channel. “Obviously it’s a special move for me for many reasons.
“I got a lot of messages today as you can imagine and a few people said to me ‘do you remember when you said you’ll come back?’, I remember saying it.
“When I left, I wasn’t ready to leave if I’m totally being honest and I remember saying ‘I’ll be back one day’ and I just put it out there in the universe and here we are. It’s happened and I’m obviously delighted.
“It’s like a fairy tale, it’s like a movie. Hopefully it’s a good one!”
The move will only feel real for both Defoe and the club’s supporters when he is standing in the tunnel at the Stadium of Light sporting the famous red and white shirt.
He revealed that it is a moment he has been thinking about for the last few weeks, ever since the rumours started regarding his return following his departure from Rangers.
“It was a strange feeling, I don’t think it’ll probably sink in yet, not until I’ve got my boots on and I’m going out on the training pitch and I go to the stadium and walk out in front of the fans,” added Defoe.
“It was strange driving up to the gates but it’s an amazing feeling. It’s hard to find words to actually describe it but it’s really special.
“It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for weeks. Now it’s done, I’m obviously delighted and I just want to get started.
“Driving here and seeing the fans, it’s midnight, [the support] is unbelievable but we know the support here is special anyway.
“When I walk down that tunnel, it’s going to be mad and I can’t wait.”
During his first spell with the club, Defoe established a fantastic relationship with his fellow players, the supporters and the city of Sunderland.
The bond he shared with the late Bradley Lowery and his family was one cherished up and down the country and highlighted the pure heart and character of the former England striker.
He admitted that, after news broke of his potential return, Bradley’s mother Gemma was more persuasive than anyone for him to sign the deal.
He said: “I’ve got a special bond with the fans here, Bradley and the family. Gemma’s been messaging me every morning ‘what’s going on, are you coming back?’
“She’s delighted and since I’ve left, I’ve kept in contact with the family. It’s well documented that there’s a new baby in the family which I’m looking forward to meeting, I’ve got all the pictures on my phone.
“It’s a special time for everyone and I just want to get started to be honest.”
Sunderland fans will be desperate for Defoe to recreate the form he showed in his first spell at the club as he finished both of his full seasons at the Stadium of Light as the club’s top goalscorer.
When asked what the highlight of those two and half years was, his reply was hardly surprising: “The volley against Newcastle of course. Obviously there were many highlights but I think the volley was special, people still talk about that now.
“That was a special day for me and I was crying like a baby as well! That’s how much it meant to me. If I can score goals like that again, it’d be great.”
