Former Chelsea, Barcelona, Lazio, and Roma winger Pedro Rodriguez announced his retirement from football earlier today, at the age of 39.
Pedro joined Chelsea in the summer of 2015 from Barcelona for £19 million. He went on to make 260 appearances for the Blues across all competitions during his five years at the club, and scored 43 goals for Chelsea, as well as winning the Europa League in 2019, the FA Cup in 2018, and the Premier League in 2017.
During his time at Barcelona, he was quite the serial winner, winning multiple LaLiga titles, as well as three Champions with his third coming in his last season with the club before joining Chelsea. That is not to mention the countless domestic trophies whilst in Spain, being part of what was regarded by many as one of the best club sides ever.
The Spaniard's time at Stamford Bridge was littered with special moments, and he couldn't have started his Chelsea career better, scoring on his Premier League debut in a 3-2 away win over West Bromwich Albion. During his Premier League-winning campaign in 2016/17, he scored in under 30 seconds in a 4-0 win over former manager Jose Mourinho, and what many saw as the title-clinching goal at Goodison Park with a long-range curler.
In his retirement video, which Pedro posted on social media, he described the time for him to announce his retirement, saying, "I feel that now is the moment."
"It's the moment to take a step forward and start a new chapter in my life. I leave the game proud of fulfilling my dreams and of all the people who were alongside me making them a reality.
"Thank you, football, for making me so happy."
Although Pedro's ability was there for all to see, he became quite a polarising player between fans, due to his lack of a finishing touch from time to time. Thay didn't always get the game time that he might have always deserved, especially with all the attacking talent that Chelsea had at their disposal with players such as Eden Hazard, Willian, Diego Costa, and Christian Pulisic coming in towards the end of his time at the club.
His most productive season at Chelsea came when the side won the Premier League under Antonio Conte in 2016/17, getting 24 goals and assists in his 43 appearances throughout that season. At the end of the 19/20 season, Pedro moved to Italy to play for Roma on a free transfer, where he was for a season.
Pedro had been without a club since leaving Italian side Lazio at the end of last season.
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