Tottenham Hotspur striker has revealed in an interview that he regrets leaving West Ham United back in 2003 after their relegation from the Premier League.
The Englishman signed for The Hammers as a 16-year-old and went on to be one of the favourites with the fans at the club and even declared his intentions to stay despite their relegation from top-flight.
However, just 24-hours later, he handed in a formal transfer request and went on to join London rivals Tottenham.
Now a hated figure with the West Ham fans, Defoe has tried to make amends by claiming he regrets leaving the club and still has a strong bond with the historic side.
‘It was a massive mistake (to leave West Ham) – I didn’t really want to do it,’ Defoe told ITV4’s Sport Life Stories, which is due to air on November 5.
‘The person who represented me at the time said, “You need to hand in a transfer request and get in early because all the lads are going to leave”.
‘I remember going in and I was so nervous. It was [then-West Ham chief executive] Paul Aldridge and I gave him the letter and he said, “What’s this?” And I said, “It’s a transfer request”. He looked at me as if to say, “Are you kidding?”
‘The backlash was crazy. I felt like I was on my own and people were absolutely abusing me.
‘To this day I can imagine West Ham fans look at me and think, “Who does he think he is? How can you do that? You’re a Judas”. And it’s quite sad really because I can honestly say I still love that club.’
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
