AFC Bournemouth
For nearly two decades Jermain Defoe has been perfecting the art of goalscoring with his creativity also on display beneath his skin with his tattoos; permanent reminders of the people and places that make the striker who he is.
MATCHDAY took the Bournemouth legend to Forever and Ever Tattoo Studio in Bournemouth to talk tattoos, their meanings and his changing role in the Cherries' squad.
Which tattoo was your first?
I’d always wanted a tattoo but I always thought that if I got one it had to mean something. The first one I got was a cross on my hand with some stars, I must have been about 21 or 22. I come from a Christian background and it was off the cuff. I was with my friend in Fulham and we just walked into the shop and my friend was saying that he knew the guy and he was good, he said ‘just get one,’ so I did.
I think if I’d planned it I wouldn’t have done it because I was a little bit scared, but I got it done and then when he started it was the worst pain because it was on my hand.
You always hear that getting tattoos become almost addictive…
Yeah, everyone said that, once you get one, that’s it. I was like ‘really? I don’t want to be going through this pain again,’ but I remember when he was doing it, and I don’t know if other people feel the same, but I was sitting there wondering what I could get done next, it’s so addictive.
How many tattoos do you think you’ve got now?
I don’t know, I’ve got a kind of sleeve, but they all mean a lot to me. I got a little bit of banter for one on my wrist, people used to ask me why I got my initials. I got the praying hands and then when I was getting it I just asked him to put JD at the bottom. My dad’s name was Jimmy so it had that meaning too.
What sort of subjects do your tattoos have?
Do you know what, all my tattoos are about my family. On my forearm I’ve got a family tree with my mum, my nan, my grandad and my sister. I’ve got a picture of my nan and then on my hand I’ve got Psalm 91, which is psalm that I read in the bible to protect me.
Then I’ve got one of my brother, who passed away in 2009, and then some angels, they all mean a lot to me.
You often talk about the role your mum’s played in your life, what does she say when you go home and show her a new tattoo?
When I told my mum I had the first tattoo she said, ‘Why would you do that and mark your skin?’ Then I told her I got her name and she went ‘Ah, that’s cool!’ Sometimes I sit there, especially with the picture of my nan who I was really close with, and it’s a nice feeling when I sit down and look at them.
Do you have any football ones at all?
No football ones, no. I’ve thought about it, marking a special moment in your career, but all mine are about my family.
What do team-mates say when a player comes in with a new tattoo?
Yeah, there’s always talk when players come in and at every club I’ve been at players have always got tattoos, it’s become a thing now, footballers with tattoos. In my early days when I first started Paolo Di Canio had a lot of tattoos, all over his chest and arms, even a West Ham tattoo I think, he was probably the first person I saw in football like that.
At Sunderland we had Jermaine Lens and he was covered, everywhere! Legs, calves, toes, everything, it was unbelievable, but they were nice. Leroy Sane has a tattoo of himself on his back, each to their own I say.
David Beckham as well, he loves his tattoos. I remember when we were away with England and I asked him how his tattoos always looked so fresh. Mine are faded a bit, but his are always fresh.
Along with David Beckham, you were among the first generation of players to get tattoos, starting almost to normalise them. What do you make of that?
Before, if someone had said to me about tattoos, I’d have thought of rock ‘n’ rollers, I’m not sure what started it with footballers. Growing up none of my family had tattoos, then I saw Di Canio when I was a kid and now it’s just gone crazy.
There’s not one tattoo I have that I look at and don’t like, I’m lucky in that sense because some people I’m sure have a few that they might regret. I’d like to get more, I’ve thought about getting something on my chest but I’m not too sure yet.
Have there been players who have come into the changing room and got that banter for their tattoos?
There have been a few girlfriends’ names – later they get rubbed out. There was one player, I won’t mention his name, in the England under-21s and he had his girlfriend’s name. I thought he was a bit young to have done that, then there was another player at Tottenham who got a picture of his girlfriend on his arm, she’s his wife now, it looked nice to be fair.
There’s always banter in the changing room, even if they’re nice tattoos. A lot of the boys get them removed or changed a little bit. I’ve seen a few girls’ names changed!
In terms of the football, you’ve yet to start in the league, how have you been pushing yourself forward to show the manager you should be getting minutes?
It’s been difficult, it’s not a situation I’ve had to deal with before so at first you get frustrated because you’re not used to it but at the same time it’s important that I’m professional because there are a lot of young players in the squad that look up to the senior players and I remember when I was younger and if I saw a senior player like that I’d think ‘if he’s doing that then it’s okay.’
As a senior player you have to conduct yourself in a certain way, sometimes it’s not easy because you’re human and you want to play but you always have to remain positive and professional.
You get your moments and your days when you’re down and when that hunger goes I think there’s no point in me playing to be honest. I’ve always had that, I’ve always wanted to play football. The team are doing well, so that’s the most important thing. You can sacrifice your own happiness for the team. I just need to keep training, stay sharp and then see what happens.
With the younger players, what role do you have with them?
It’s weird, Lys calls me ‘uncle’. I enjoy it, I look back at my time with West Ham and it goes so quickly. I looked up to Rio and Frank who were already in the England squad, everything they told me I’d listen to. They’d hammer you in training but it was constructive criticism, so I’d take it on the chin and want to improve and be the best, I was like a sponge.
Now I have this role so if I can give something back to the younger ones now, like Lys, who is an unbelievable talent, then you have Nnamdi Ofoborh and Jaidon Anthony.
Do they talk about looking up to you?
Nnamdi used to come to White Hart Lane and watch me. He told he came to the training ground and had a picture with me. Even Junior Stanislas, I don’t look at him and think he’s young but he told me his mum had taken a picture of him with me at the West Ham training ground. That is weird, but it’s nice.
And you still have that hunger for goals…
When I was young I went to Lilleshall for two years on a scholarship, I used to miss dinner because I’d stay our practicing with both feet. I don’t really know where that hunger came from. I always wanted to master it, be the best and be a player who my team-mates could rely on and say, ‘If JD gets a chance, one chance, he’ll score’.
When I was at Tottenham I was with Clive Allen, he once scored 50 goals in a season and he gave me a Jimmy Greaves DVD and I watched that, I always want to improve, even now. I have to be careful, I can’t stay out lashing balls because your body changes and you get injuries but I always stay behind and practise, so it becomes instinctive.
Sometimes I’ll score goals and people will ask me what I was thinking. I don’t even know what to say to them, it’s instinctive from being in those positions through your career.
How did that first spell with the Cherries help you in the career you’ve had?
When I was here and started scoring everyone started talking about records, but I didn’t really know about them, I didn’t want to be going into games thinking about records and start snatching at shots, I just wanted to enjoy my football.
Dealing with that sort of pressure at a young age helped me. I was turning 18 and seeing myself on Sky Sports and I enjoyed that pressure. The tenth game was against Cambridge away and in the first half I missed a chance and was nearly crying on the pitch. Fletch said to me not to worry, I’d get another chance.
Then, when I scored, it was mental with a huge pile on. I’ve still got the picture, it was the best feeling.
