Sunderland midfielder Jay Matete sends message to Jermain Defoe following his retirement

With Jermain Defoe today announcing his retirement from football, the messages of praise and support have flooded in for the England striker and one of the latest comes from the Stadium of Light itself.

Jay Matete has taken to Instagram to post his own personal message to his teammate, who he classed as a ‘legend’ having stood alongside him after the forward moved to the Black Cats this campaign.

The 39-year-old has only recently rejoined Sunderland, having become a club hero during his last stint at the Stadium of Light. With his match fitness low though, it hasn’t gone exactly to plan, with the striker featuring in only seven league games so far.

With only two starts to his name and the player now getting on in his career, the former top flight star has now decided to finally call time on his career.

With over 500 career appearances to his name – with a whopping 496 of those coming in the Premier League – and over 350 goals to boot, he has certainly had a huge impact on the game since his debut back in 2000.

Defoe has now been inundated with messages after the announcement and one player to take to Instagram to post a message of support is Matete, who only recently linked up with the former Portsmouth and Tottenham man. The midfielder has burst onto the scene at the Stadium of Light and is now one of their most exciting players.

He has recognised the achievements of his teammate in the game so far and claimed that the forward is a ‘legend’ and wished him all the best in his retirement.

Defoe has certainly had quite the career, having starring roles in the top flight and for his country and will no doubt be happy with what he has managed to achieve over the course of his time in football.

The Verdict

Jermain Defoe has