It’s unclear if Jermain Defoe will feature for England in Russia this summer.
Now 35, the striker’s form at Sunderland last year earned him a recall to the national side for the first time in three years. He marked his return by scoring the opening goal in a World Cup qualifier against Lithuania last spring.
Since then he’s moved to Bournemouth, where an ankle injury has seen him start just 11 Premier League games. Limited playing time will inevitably go against his chances of earning a spot in Gareth Southgate’s squad.
If he is overlooked, at least he can take some control over what he does with himself over the summer – avoiding the desperate levels of boredom he and his England colleagues suffered during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Speaking to ESPN, Defoe has given an insight into what life was like at the tournament for Fabio Capello’s team. More specifically, he talked about how difficult it was for the players at their remote training complex near Rustenburg.
The boredom was so great that Defoe recalls how he spent one evening in his room with Wayne Rooney, watching a DVD of the former Manchester United captain’s wedding.
“When we were in South Africa, I remember one night I was bored, so me and Wayne Rooney sat in his room and watched his whole wedding on DVD,” Defoe said.
“It was nice to spend quality time with a teammate.
“Wayne had something like a flash mob. The waiters were singing, dancing… It was good because he was my strike-partner.”
Defoe scored the only goal in England’s final group game against Slovenia in South Africa, enough to clinch their place in the knockout stages in South Africa where they were beaten by Germany.
England are based in the village of Repino in Russia this summer, situated around 30 miles from the city of St. Petersburg. Given it’s likely to be quiet in the area, let’s hope those that are part of the squad have a few wedding DVDs to pass the time.
