Defoe says a refusal to drink alcohol has helped him remain match fit

Sunderland forward remains a potent striker even at the age of 34

Jermain Defoe was in a restaurant in Durham this week when he asked the waitress if the white wine sauce could be removed from his sea bass dish.

Last Saturday night, he sat with his mum in his Northumberland home and drank green tea as they watched his 150th Premier League goal on Match of the Day.

Defoe - described by Sunderland boss David Moyes as the fittest 34-year-old he has ever seen - has never touched alcohol. He never will.

Jermain Defoe remains a regular Premier League goal scorer at the age of 34

Defoe was described by Sunderland boss David Moyes as the fittest 34-year-old he's ever seen

Defoe scores the opener in Sunderland's 3-0 win over Hull City - his 150th Premier League goal

‘You do get more out of yourself if you don't drink,’ says the striker. ‘At least when I finish playing I can say to myself, “You know what, I did everything right. I gave myself the best chance”.’

This discussion, of course, has been triggered by events at England’s team hotel a fortnight ago, when captain Wayne Rooney drank until 5am after gatecrashing a wedding just hours before he was due to train.

So where would Defoe have been? ‘I like to be with my team-mates, I don't want to be boring and just sit in my room,' he says, ‘but you've got to be careful about it.

‘If you think about it, there’s nothing wrong with sitting in that hotel with the lads and having a couple of drinks - but it shouldn't be more than that.’

Defoe is the ultimate professional. When former Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce sought to add a cryotherapy chamber to the club’s training ground last year, they realised Defoe had already hired it at home - paying £1,000 a time for just three minutes in the sub-zero recovery cabin.

On his arm is tattooed ‘Hard Work. Dedication. Success’. Staff and team-mates at Sunderland have been taken aback by his forensic approach to preparation.

So, too, was the young waitress earlier this week.

CAREER: JERMAIN DEFOE Age: 34 Clubs: Charlton Athletic, West Ham United, Bournemouth (loan), Tottenham Hotspur (twice), Portsmouth, Toronto FC, Sunderland Club games: 574; Goals: 226 International caps: 55; Goals: 19 Advertisement

‘She looked at me and probably thought, "What's wrong with a little bit of white wine? You're meant to be an adult”,’ he laughs. ‘But I said, “Please, just tell the chef no, please.”.’

Defoe’s father, Jimmy, died from throat cancer while his son was away with England at Euro 2012. For the first time he has revealed another of the reasons as to why he has resisted alcohol.

‘I've never said it before, but my dad used to drink a lot,’ he says.

‘My mum has said to me over the years, “Try not to drink if you can. Try not to get in that habit because you don't need it if you want to play at the highest level for a long time and you want to keep performing”.

‘And I do believe that if you look after yourself - don't drink, eat the right things and rest well - you feel ready for the game at the weekend.

'You feel professional, like you've given yourself the best chance because you've not gone out drinking.’

Defoe is teetotal, unlike Wayne Rooney (left), whose drinking has landed him in hot water

Defoe's professionalism impressed ex-Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce last season

Defoe takes a lot of inspiration from boxers such as Floyd Mayweather Jr and Chris Eubank. Indeed, Defoe was travelling through London while playing for Spurs when he spotted Eubank and asked his driver to stop the car.

‘I kind of knew him and said hello and that I was going to meet my mum. He said, “I’m coming with you”,’ says Defoe.

‘We started talking about his boxing. He said he always knew if his opponent was out drinking and that, because he wasn’t, he had the advantage. If the opponent is not sleeping well, you always do the opposite. It was about believing you had the edge.

‘Look at Mayweather - he’s like a freak. Have you seen how hard he works? It is unbelievable. He has never touched alcohol either. He trains like he hasn't got a penny.’

With 150 league goals, Defoe needs one more to surpass ex-England team mate Michael Owen

An ex-Spurs player, Defoe would relish surpassing the goal tally of Arsenal hero Thierry Henry

Defoe, too, is not motivated by financial gain. His currency is goals. He is now joint seventh in the list of all-time Premier League scorers and can move past Michael Owen with another at Liverpool this afternoon.

He does not need reminding of this and proceeds to reel off the names and tallies of the six players above him.

‘Can I catch Thierry Henry on 175?’ he wonders. ‘That would be special. Then it’ s Frank Lampard on 177.’

Defoe’s 150th followed a solo dribble during last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Hull.

Thanks to Defoe's goals, Sunderland have won their last two Premier League games

‘I was buzzing, I didn’t need to go out, I watched my goal on Match of the Day with my family,’ he says.

‘I recorded it and watched it again the next morning. Then I watched it on Goals on Sunday. Then I watched it on Match of the Day 2. I sometimes sit there and I have to pinch myself.

'I remember going back to my West Ham days and I was moaning sometimes at Glenn Roeder (the manager) because I wanted to play, but I was young. He said, “Don’t worry, you are going to score loads of goals in the Premier League”.

‘But to score 150, it’s mad.’