Sunderland Star Reveals Secret to His Longevity & Explains How His Beloved Mum Might Ruin It

?Seasoned Premier League striker Jermain Defoe has revealed the secret to his seemingly ageless footballing vitality, claiming that freezing cryotherapy chamber sessions are the source of his powers, although his mum is ruining his vegan diet by cooking up meat.

In a report by ?The Sun newspaper, Defoe has claimed to be reaping the benefits of these sessions, having already proven footballing pundits wrong with his impressive performances at the ripe old age of 34.

Defoe has already found the net for the struggling Black Cats an almighty 14 times in just 28 league appearances and returned from international four-year exile with a goal against Lithuania in their World Cup qualifier on Sunday. 

It was testament to a striker who has refused to give up on achieving footballing notoriety, despite repeatedly being written off by pundits, and is heavily relied on at Sunderland to score the goals in their bid to stave off relegation. 

The striker harbours ambitions of making it onto the plane for Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad in Russia in 2018, despite the strenuous fitness he demands of himself: 

“The intensity of the modern game means the physical demands on the players are so high these days”, said Defoe.

“For me, it is all about recovery and how I look after myself between matches — and I seem to have got that to a tee. But it’s not easy.

”There’s a lot of things I do away from training and playing that help me to perform on a match day.

“I have a better understanding of my body thanks to all the sports science and I know when I need to have a rest day and when I need to work hard.

“I spend a lot of time in freezing temperatures in a cryotherapy chamber, which is not fun.

“I have a lot of massages and ice baths, which I don’t want but I know that I’ll be rewarded at the weekend. I’m also trying to turn vegan, which is a funny one because whenever I go to my mum’s, she’s got every meat you can imagine out.

“My girlfriend puts on these documentaries about meat and said I have to go vegan. It helps to have her around to drive me on but it’s not easy.

“I still eat a lot of fish and I’m feeling good. I’m not fatiguing towards the end of games and I’m feeling fresh and sharp, so I’ll continue to do it. It’s just a case of trying to tick every box so I can continue playing for as long as possible.

“Nothing is too hard for me as I know the feeling I get scoring goals still outweighs all the negatives.

“I’ve never been a person who wants something on a plate, I always want to work hard for it.”