Jay Rodriguez

Jay Enrique Rodriguez (born 29 July 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL League One club Wrexham.

[6] Rodriguez signed a contract with Burnley and was promoted to the senior squad at the end of the 2006–07 season after progressing through the youth ranks at the club and completing his two-year apprenticeship.

[8] He made his first team debut for Burnley in the Championship on 29 December 2007, when he came on as a late substitute for Stephen Jordan in the 1–0 defeat to Bristol City at Turf Moor.

[citation needed] His first match back on 1 March saw him come off the bench to score a consolation in the last minute and his first professional goal away to Morton which ended in a 2–1 defeat.

[13][14] Rodriguez was given his first appearance of the 2008–09 season on 23 September 2008, when he scored his first goal for Burnley in the League Cup third round against Fulham, coming on as a late substitute securing a win in the 88th minute.

[21] Following the club's promotion to the Premier League in 2009, Rodriguez injured an ankle while playing for the reserves and found it difficult to break into the first team.

[32] Rodriguez finished the season as Burnley's top goalscorer with 21 in all competitions[citation needed] which helped him earn a place in the Championship PFA Team of the Year.

[37][38] Rodriguez made his Premier League debut on the opening day of the 2012–13 season, starting against Manchester City, before being substituted by Rickie Lambert in the 55th minute.

[44] He continued his fine run of form with goals in a 2–1 home win over reigning European champions Chelsea[45] and in a 2–0 away victory against Reading.

[53][54] Three days later, it was revealed that Rodriguez had ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament and would be out for eleven months, ruling him out of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in the process.

[56] He made his first competitive appearance for 16 months on 6 August, when he replaced Graziano Pellè for the final 18 minutes of a 2–0 away victory (5–0 aggregate) against Vitesse Arnhem in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.

[58] He registered his first Premier League goal in nearly two years on 27 August 2016 against Sunderland, at St. Mary's, coming on late to equalise and rescue a point for Southampton in a 1–1 draw.

[60] On 2 July 2017, Rodriguez signed for fellow Premier League club West Bromwich Albion on a four-year contract for a £12 million fee.

[63] His first West Brom goal came ten days later in the second round of the EFL Cup, in a 3–1 win over League Two side Accrington Stanley.

[65][66] The charges were later found not proven by the Football Association due to lack of evidence,[67][68] following which West Bromwich issued a club statement in support of Rodriguez.

[69] In December 2018, Rodriguez scored a stoppage-time equaliser against local rivals Aston Villa when the officials failed to notice that he "had clearly bundled the ball into the net with his hands".

Rodriguez playing for Southampton in 2013