Pedro Rodríguez retires from professional football at 39

Pedro Rodríguez announced his retirement from professional football on October 7 at age 39, ending a career that began in 2008 and included major honors with Barcelona, Chelsea and Spain. His announcement followed the end of his contract with Lazio, where he spent the final years of his playing career. In a message posted online, Pedro said it was time to begin a new chapter and thanked football and the people who had supported him. The announcement was accompanied by a video that revisited his career. One report said the video was filmed at Camp Nou and recalled his Barcelona debut; that detail was not included in all accounts. Pedro emerged in Barcelona’s senior side in 2008 and became part of the team during Pep Guardiola’s tenure. He later joined Chelsea in 2015, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League there, before moving to Roma and then Lazio. He spent five years at Chelsea and joined Lazio in 2021, according to one account. Reports agree that he played for the three clubs, though they differ on some career totals. Pedro was also part of Spain’s teams that won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2012.