Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe is hoping to be in England's World Cup squad so he can visit his sponsored orphan in South Africa.

Three-year-old orphan Lerato lives in Rustenberg, South Africa, and Defoe is sponsoring her through a regular donation to a children's charity.

For now, the 27-year-old Spurs and England striker has to be content with a picture of his new love.

But, in the summer, he will be taking time out from England's quest to lift the World Cup to go to Rustenberg and meet Lerato for the first time.

And he knows it will be a heart-rending and emotional encounter.

Defoe told The Sun: "I have been showing her picture to everyone and they are all saying how cute she is.

"And I'm really looking forward to going to visit her in South Africa in the summer.

"Maybe it will be a special day for her but I know it will definitely be special for me. Probably a humbling experience, too. I just can't imagine growing up without my mum and my grandparents.

"I honestly don't know how I would have coped. They gave me so much love, help and so many opportunities and always told me to appreciate how lucky I was. And I have certainly been lucky in life. I always wanted to be a footballer and here I am living the dream and with all the trappings.

"So I have been blessed and I have a great life but I also think it is important to give something back. And to realise that, for many people, it is hard out there. Especially for these children in South Africa who are struggling and suffering.

"It is so difficult for them and so easy for us to forget about them. That's why I think it is important to get involved in things like the charity SOS Children, who have made all this possible."