Jordan Rhodes Retires After Stellar Football Career
Jordan Rhodes, a former striker for Huddersfield Town and Blackburn Rovers, has announced his retirement at the age of 35. He ranks as the third highest goalscorer in English league football over the past two decades.
Since the start of the 2004-05 season, Rhodes has netted 220 goals in the top four tiers of English football, trailing only Billy Sharp (259) and Harry Kane (227).
In addition to his club success, Rhodes scored three goals in 14 appearances for the Scotland national team. Following his retirement, he has taken on the role of loans manager at Blackburn Rovers, his former club.
Rhodes began his professional career at Ipswich Town but gained prominence after joining Huddersfield in July 2009. During his prolific three-year tenure with the Terriers, he scored 73 goals in 124 league matches before transferring to Blackburn for £8 million in August 2012.
“A legend in West Yorkshire, Rhodes will always be cherished by Town fans for his contributions over two spells,” stated Huddersfield Town in an official announcement.
While at Blackburn, Rhodes continued to find the net consistently, playing alongside Rudy Gestede, who currently serves as the club's head of football operations. He scored 83 goals in 159 Championship appearances, making him the second highest scorer in the division since its rebranding in 2004.
After his time at Blackburn, Rhodes had stints with Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday, where he faced challenges in scoring. However, he played a pivotal role in helping Norwich City achieve promotion to the Premier League during a loan spell in the 2018-19 season. He returned to Huddersfield for a second time in July 2021.
Although he struggled to replicate the form of his earlier years, Rhodes contributed significantly to the team that reached the Championship play-off final in the 2021-22 season, where they were defeated by Nottingham Forest.
In the 2023-24 season, he enjoyed a successful loan at League One side Blackpool, scoring 15 goals in 29 league matches. However, after making the move permanent in the summer of 2024, he failed to find the net in 21 games in the third tier and concluded last season on loan with Mansfield Town.
Rhodes scored the final goal of his career while playing for Mansfield in a 1-1 draw against Stevenage in March.