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 Sunderland's former England, West Ham, Tottenham, and Rangers striker Jermain Defoe has retired from professional football at the age of 39 .

Defoe, who returned to the Black Cats in February , scored 304 goals in 762 club games and 20 goals in 57 England appearances during his career .

During his 22-year career, he also played for Portsmouth, Bournemouth , and Major League Soccer team Toronto .

In a statement, Defoe said , " It's been a truly difficult decision . "

 " I made my professional debut at the age of 17 in 1999 , and I believe the time has come for me to retire. " 

Defoe , a diminutive forward , scored 162 Premier League goals , making him the league's seventh-best scorer since its inception in 1992-93 .

On January's deadline day , Defoe's return to Sunderland was marked by a late-night social media announcement , in which the veteran striker described the comeback as  " special for many reasons . " 

He did not, however , match the heights of his previous stay , making only seven appearances - two of which were starts - and failing to score for the League One promotion hopefuls .

While a well-known international , Defoe will be remembered by many non-football fans for his friendship with terminally ill Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery , who died in 2017 at the age of six after a long cancer battle .

Lowery's mother Gemma commented ,  " Jermain is a legend . "  " We will be sad to see him depart the game , as will all Sunderland fans . " 

 " We are eternally grateful to football for bringing Jermain into our lives , and we will cherish the memories we shared with Brad . " 

In 2018 ,  he was awarded an OBE for services to charity for his work with the Jermain Defoe Foundation .

 " Football will always be in my blood, and looking back on the fortunate career I've had brings me enormous pride and satisfaction , "  Defoe concluded .

 " Now I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with my friends and family before going on to the next stage of my career . " 

Defoe praised all of his teams ' fans , coaches ,  teammates ,  and staff for  " playing such a vital part "  in his career ,  as well as paying tribute to those closest to him .

 " Finally ,  I'd like to express my gratitude to my mother ,  who handed me a ball when I was two years old and encouraged me to believe that my dream may come true . " 

The timeline of Defoe's career

• West Ham signed him as a 16-year-old for a compensation fee of £1 million extra in 1999 from Charlton .

• In 2000-01 ,  while on loan at Bournemouth in Division Two ,  he equaled a league record by scoring in ten consecutive Football League games .

•  Under Harry Redknapp's management ,  he established himself in the West Ham club , scoring 40 goals in 104 games before joining Tottenham for £7 million in 2004 .

• In March 2004 , he made his England debut as a substitute for Darius Vassell against Sweden .

• In his first time at White Hart Lane , he became a fan favorite , scoring 64 goals in 177 games .

• In 2008 , he returned to the south coast with Portsmouth , where he was a cup-tied player and missed out on the FA Cup final , but scored in Pompey's maiden European appearance .

• Spurs re-signed him a year later , and he helped them reach a League Cup final before being forced to withdraw due to injury .

• With five goals against Wigan , he equaled the Premier League record for most goals in a game , and he became Spurs' sixth greatest all-time goalscorer and the club's most prolific scorer in Europe .

• At the 2010 World Cup , he scored against Slovenia before going on to score a hat-trick against Bulgaria later that year .

• In 2014 , he joined MLS team Toronto but returned to the Premier League with Sunderland , where he scored the winner in the Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle and twice helped the Black Cats avoid relegation .

• After Sunderland's relegation from the Premier League in 2017, he returned to Bournemouth for a second term , then moved to the Scottish Premiership with Rangers on an initial loan agreement in 2019 , won his first league title with the Gers in 2020-21 .