Family deaths put life into perspective for Jermain Defoe

At any other time in his career, Jermain Defoe would be a nervous wreck this week as he waits to discover if he will be selected to lead England's attack against Moldova, but a heartbreaking series of family tragedies have given the Tottenham striker a new perspective on life.

With Wayne Rooney and Andy Carroll ruled out through injury, Spurs striker Defoe has a golden opportunity to stake his claim for more regular international action if he can deliver a goal-scoring display in tomorrow's opening World Cup qualifier.

The 29-year-old is competing with Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge for a place in Roy Hodgson's starting line-up and, for someone who has always treated football as by far the most important thing in his life, in the past Defoe would have been shattered if he didn't get the nod.

But not any more. A devastating sequence of deaths in his family has made Defoe realise that there are far more important things in life than football.

Defoe's father Jimmy died of throat cancer just before the start of Euro 2012 and he flew home from England's base in Poland to attend the funeral before returning to the tournament.

As if that wasn't enough heartache for Defoe to cope with, he then learned while he was on holiday after the Euros that his 20-year-old cousin Hannah had been electrocuted as she dived into a hotel pool on the Caribbean island of St Lucia.