'One of our own' ex-Burnley star Jay Rodriguez hangs up his boots
The 37-year-old Burnley-born striker has decided to call time on his career after more than 550 appearances and 150 goals across spells at six different clubs, mostly playing in the Premier League.
Burnley lad Jay Rodriguez has announced his retirement from playing.
The 37-year-old striker has decided to call time on his career after more than 550 appearances and 150 goals across spells at six different clubs, mostly playing in the Premier League.
The former Barden High School pupil also represented his country on one occasion, featuring for England against Chile at Wembley in 2013.
Rodriguez made the announcement on I Had Trials Once podcast.
Born and raised within a mile or so of Turf Moor, Rodriguez went on to play for his hometown club after progressing through the youth ranks.
He made his Clarets debut in the final game of 2007, a 1-0 home defeat to Bristol City.
The following month, he moved to Stirling, in Scotland, on loan before becoming a significant member of the Clarets squad which won promotion from the Championship during the 2008-09 season.
He scored five times, including a memorable late goal against Tottenham Hotspur in the Carling Cup semi-final second leg at Turf Moor, and also featured in the play-off final at Wembley as Burnley defeated Sheffield United 1-0.
Bizarrely, Rodriguez was overlooked by manager Owen Coyle the following season and spent time on loan at Barnsley.
After the Clarets were relegated, Rodriguez began to flourish under new boss Eddie Howe.
A centre forward with that touch of class, he scored 15 goals in 48 appearances and was soon the subject of speculation from other clubs.
Southampton, then of the Premier League, won the race for his signature, paying £6m to take him to St Mary’s.
He became a firm favourite among Saints fans, scoring 35 goals in 126 appearances.
Unfortunately, just when it looked like he could establish himself on the international stage, he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament away at Manchester City which not only destroyed his hopes of making the 2014 World Cup squad but kept him on the sidelines for 16 months.
He later went onto have a spell at West Bromwich Albion, where he notched 33 times from 90 games before making an emotional return to his hometown club for £10m under Sean Dyche in 2019.
He would go on to enjoy a further six seasons at Turf Moor, helping the Clarets win promotion back to the Premier League as champions in 2023 under Vincent Kompany.
Rodriguez played another 182 games for the Clarets, finding the back of the net on 35 occasions, before leaving for Wrexham in January 2025, but injuries restricted his time at the Racecourse Ground.
“Officially retired,” Rodriguez told I Had Trials Once podcast. “I thought it would be harder for myself (to retire) but I think having the last year I had at Wrexham; it was a great experience for myself, but I had an injury at the start of the season which put me out for three or four months and then I got back but had another injury with my knee, a minor one, but it was still four weeks and it was just kind of like (time to retire).