Rudy Gestede

Blackburn Rovers

On 26 November 2013, Gestede joined Blackburn Rovers on loan until the end of 2013 under an emergency loan arrangement after he found his playing time at Cardiff reduced since their promotion to the Premier League. Blackburn manager Gary Bowyer stated that Gestede was the type of player the team needed to assist talisman Jordan Rhodes in an important season for the club.

Gestede scored his first goal for Rovers on 1 January 2014 against Leeds United via a header in a 2–1 victory.

On 1 January 2014, Gestede signed for the club permanently, on a three-and-a-half-year deal, along with Tom Cairney, who was also on loan at Blackburn at the same time as him. On 21 April, Gestede scored a first-half hat-trick, against Birmingham City. He won the Championship Player of the Month Award for April after scoring six goals in the seven games in that month.

Aston Villa On 31 July 2015, after intense speculation, Gestede signed for Premier League club Aston Villa on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £6 million. He made his debut as a substitute away at Bournemouth, heading the winning goal in a 1–0 victory. On 22 September 2015, he scored the winner in a 1–0 League Cup victory over archrivals Birmingham City. On 26 September 2015, he scored a brace in a 3–2 defeat to Liverpool away at Anfield.

Middlesbrough On 2 January 2017, Aston Villa accepted a bid from Premier League club Middlesbrough for Gestede, reported to be in the region of £6m. He officially signed for the club on 4 January 2017. Gestede made his debut for the club and his top-level return in a 0–0 draw against Watford on 14 January 2017. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 defeat against Manchester United on 19 March 2017. On 21 August 2017, Middlesbrough rejected a £6 million bid for the player from Leeds United.

He picked up an injury in September 2017, after picking up a dead leg which required surgery after a bleed. He returned from the injury on 2 December 2017 against Bristol City, he picked up another injury which almost ended his season when he fractured his ankle against Hull City in February 2018. He returned on 15 May 2018 for Middlesbrough as a second-half substitute in the Championship Playoff Semi Final second leg against Aston Villa.

Gestede was released by Middlesbrough on 30 June 2020, after previously refusing to play the remaining games of the 2019–20 season.

Melbourne Victory On 25 November 2020 Melbourne Victory announced that they had signed Gestede. He was quoted as saying “I am extremely pleased to have signed with Melbourne Victory for this season, after speaking with the club, in particular Grant Brebner, I was very impressed with the vision they outlined around the brand of football they want to play and the role they want me to play.”

In his debut season with the Victory, Gestede made 18 appearances, finishing with 5 goals and 2 assists; alongside Jake Brimmer and Elvis Kamsoba, Gestede finished as Melbourne Victory's joint top goalscorer for the 2020–21 season.

Panetolikos After a season at Melbourne Victory, he signed a 2-year deal for Greek club Panetolikos, but he played 3 games (all in the starting eleven) and scored one goal.

Esteghlal On 30 October 2021, Gestede signed for Esteghlal on a two-year contract. He was given shirt number 39. Six days later, he made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw against Fajr Sepasi. On 24 December, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 victory against Shahr Khodro. On 17 March 2022, he scored 2 minutes after coming on as a substitute in a match against Persepolis, becoming Esteghlal's first non-Iranian player to score in the Tehran Derby. He left the club after his first season following his contract termination by mutual consent.

He announced his retirement a year later.

International career Gestede played for the France under-19 national team between 2006 and 2008. He was called up for the Benin national team in February 2013 for the World Cup qualifiers due to a parent being of Beninois origin; he was also eligible for the United States through a grandparent.

After three years, he was recalled to the national team in August 2019.

Post-playing career On 14 June 2024, Gestede returned to former club Blackburn Rovers as Head of Football Operations.

Personal life In the summer of 2012, Rudy's wife, Hawa, gave birth to their first child, Elijah Gestede. He is a Muslim.

Career statistics

Honours Cardiff City Football League Championship: 2012–13 Football League Cup runner-up: 2011–12

Esteghlal Persian Gulf Pro League: 2021–22

Individual Football League Championship Player of the Month: April 2014