Jermain Defoe 'can't stop smiling' as he says Sunderland return is 'like a fairytale'

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