Former Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe gave an interesting answer after he was asked if he’d start ahead of Newcastle United star Alexander Isak when he was in his prime.
Defoe enjoyed a brilliant career, scoring 162 Premier League goals and winning 57 England caps.
Isak, meanwhile, is still writing his story but has already made a fantastic start. At only 25, the Newcastle United star is regarded as one of the best forwards in world football right now.
He’s already scored 54 goals in 86 Premier League appearances and could even break Newcastle United’s goalscoring record should he stay at the club long-term.
Defoe, who scored eight goals in 25 games against Newcastle as a player, certainly recognised that.
Alexander Isak celebrates scoring for Newcastle United against Ipswich Town.
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Jermain Defoe suggests Alexander Isak is a better player than he was
Speaking to ESPN, the 42-year-old was asked to state whether or not he’d have started for various clubs during his prime years when their badge appeared.
Defoe confidently stated he’d have started for all of Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham.
Stat Jermain Defoe Alexander Isak
Appearances 496 86
Goals 162 54
Goals per game 0.35 1.5
Jermain Defoe’s Premier League record compared to Alexander Isak’s
When it came to Newcastle, however, Defoe claimed he wouldn’t start for them and said: “Isak’s done his stuff.”
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Later in the video, it was put to him that Isak “is not JD [Jermain Defoe] though, is he?”
Defoe then replied: “I know what you mean.”
The little-known record Jermain Defoe shares with a Newcastle United legend
It doesn’t seem controversial to suggest Isak is a better player than Defoe was at his very best, though that is to take nothing away from the former Spurs star.
He was an elite-level goalscorer at various clubs, and enjoyed the kind of career most footballers around the world would envy. However, Isak has been described as a “generational” talent and is reportedly being tracked by most of Europe’s elite clubs for a reason.
One arguably little-known fact about Defoe is that he shares a goalscoring record with Newcastle legend Alan Shearer.
Indeed, Defoe and Shearer remain the players who have scored the most goals against the defending champions in Premier League history, scoring nine each.