A natural finisher with both feet, Jermain Defoe has scored goals consistently throughout his career and could prove to be an invaluable asset to England at UEFA EURO 2012. He goes to the tournament in good form despite having been left on the bench for much of the 2011/12 season with Tottenham Hotspur FC.

• A Londoner, he was enrolled at the National School of Excellence at Lilleshall by Charlton Athletic FC but went on to sign professional forms with West Ham United FC, where his pace and eye for a goal were much in evidence – not least during a prolific loan spell at Bournemouth during which he scored in ten successive games.

• Relegated from the Premier League with the Hammers in 2003, he joined Tottenham the following January and made his senior England debut – after a long and productive career with the Under-21s – two months later in a friendly against Sweden.

• Not selected for UEFA EURO 2004 or the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he experienced mixed fortunes with Spurs and left for Portsmouth FC midway through the 2007/08 season – which meant he missed Tottenham's League Cup win and was ineligible to participate in Pompey's run to FA Cup glory.

• Followed manager Harry Redknapp back to Spurs in January 2009 and went on to score a career-best 24 goals in all competitions – including five in one game against Wigan Athletic FC (9-1) – the following season, which ended with his selection for the 2010 World Cup, where he scored the winner against Slovenia to help his side advance to the knockout phase.

• Took his international goal tally to 15 with a hat-trick in England's opening UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier at home to Bulgaria and scored twice on his first UEFA Champions League start – a 3-3 draw at FC Twente − three months later.