Jermain Defoe and Harry Kane previously played together for Tottenham and England
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Harry Kane has paid tribute to former Tottenham and England team-mate Jermain Defoe following his retirement from professional football.
Defoe announced earlier on Thursday that he was calling time on his 22-year playing career aged 39, having scored 304 goals in 762 club games and a further 20 in 57 senior outings for his country.
143 of those goals came for Tottenham, with whom Defoe enjoyed two permanent spells and a further loan stint, making 362 total appearances and helping the club to League Cup glory in 2008, finally being presented with a winners’ medal 10 years later having been sold to Portsmouth before the Wembley showpiece.
Only a brief part of that Spurs career overlapped with current striking supremo Kane, with the duo having played together during the 2013/14 campaign, before Defoe’s stint in Major League Soccer (MLS) with Toronto FC.
However, Defoe clearly had a major impact on the young Kane’s development, dispensing key words of wisdom to his fellow prolific forward, who would go on to become one of Spurs’ true greats as well as captaining England.
Top striker, top bloke and someone who gave me some great advice in my early career as well as his number 18 shirt!
— Harry Kane (@HKane) March 24, 2022
Happy retirement @IAmJermainDefoe https://t.co/AuqAopjlLG
The pair also played together at international level.
Taking to Twitter after Defoe’s retirement announcement, Kane wrote: “Top striker, top bloke and someone who gave me some great advice in my early career as well as his number 18 shirt!
“Happy retirement @IAmJermainDefoe.”
