Rudy Gestede has gone on to have a very interesting career since leaving Cardiff City in January 2014.

The 33-year-old now applies his trade in Iran's top-flight with Esteghal FC but the physical striker made his presence known in English football for three and a half years after departing the Welsh capital.

The Benin international signed for Blackburn Rovers in January 2014 and went on to assert his authority as a top class Championship striker with 35 goals in 72 games. An outstanding goalscoring ratio of just under a goal every other game.

Those numbers caught the eye of Aston Villa, then in the Premier League, who splashed £7.65 million for his services, according to Transfermarkt, in the summer of 2015. It was a difficult time to play up front for Villa as they embarrassingly finished rock bottom of the top-flight earning just 17 points.

The January after Villa were relegated, 2017, Gestede earned his second Premier League move with Middlesbrough bringing him in for a similarly hefty transfer fee. Gestede was unable to replicate his goal potency at Villa or Boro on the whole and was a free agent at the end of his deal on Teesside in the summer of 2020.

The 33-year-old signed for A-League side Melbourne Victory in November 2020 and scored five times down under before being snapped up by Greek outfit Panetolikos in August. His stay in Greece was extremely brief though and he then joined Esteghal just two months later this October.

A whirlwind spell since leaving the EFL but Gestede leaves behind memories of a hardworking forward who peaked in hitting 20 league goals for Blackburn Rovers in the 2014/15 campaign.