Former West Brom and Stoke striker Saido Berahino retires at 33

Saido Berahino, the former Premier League forward who began his career at West Bromwich Albion, announced his retirement at 33 to focus on a coaching role with Burundi’s national team. The midfielder‑turned‑striker, who grew up in the English Midlands after moving from Burundi, burst onto the scene with West Brom, scoring 20 league and cup goals in the 2014‑15 season. His performances earned him a £12 million move to Stoke City in January 2017.

Berahino’s time at Stoke was difficult. He struggled to replicate his earlier form, and the club slipped into the Championship after relegation in April 2018. A brief revival came under manager Gary Rowett, when he netted five times in the 2018‑19 campaign, but he soon fell out of favour again and left the club by mutual consent with three years still on his contract.

After departing Stoke in August 2019, Berahino signed for Belgian side Waregem and later moved to Charleroi. He returned to England in August 2021 when former West Brom manager Darren Moore recruited him for Sheffield Wednesday. Subsequent spells took him to clubs in Cyprus, India and Slovenia, while he also represented his birth nation, Burundi, at senior level. Earlier in his career he had been capped by England at every youth level up to under‑21 and received two call‑ups to the senior squad from manager Roy Hodgson, although he never made an appearance.

In a heartfelt Instagram post titled “A Letter To The Game,” Berahino thanked West Brom for giving him his start, recalling 36 goals in 121 appearances and a hat‑trick on his first start as a 20‑year‑old against Newport County in the EFL Cup in August 2013. He wrote, “My body and my heart are ready for the next chapter. I am proud and grateful to now serve the Burundi national team as a coach. Giving back to the country that made me, and helping the next generation, feels right.” He also expressed gratitude to his family and to the fans who supported him throughout his career, emphasizing that retirement marks the end of one story and the beginning of another.