The Cardiff City deal that made Blackburn Rovers a sizable profit | OneFootball

When Blackburn Rovers signed striker Rudy Gestede from Cardiff City for a modest £200,000 fee, even they couldn't have predicted the windfall they'd receive for his services just two years later.

The Benin forward scored 35 goals in 72 appearances for Blackburn, driving them towards the play-offs and eventually attracting the attention of Premier League Aston Villa.

A deal was agreed for a fee in the region of £6m, and whilst Gestede struggled to get to grips with life in the top flight, Blackburn reflected on money well spent.

Gestede is heralded as a cult hero at Blackburn despite spending just two seasons at the club, and he's readily welcomed back to talk about his time in Lancashire. For both club and player, it felt like a match made in heaven.

Rudy Gestede was in the form of his life at Blackburn

A relative unknown when he arrived at Blackburn, Gestede quickly set about making a name for himself at Ewood Park.

His aerial prowess soon endeared him to the Rovers' fans, with 10 of his 14 goals coming from headers, including a first-half hat-trick against Birmingham.

Blackburn narrowly missed out on the play-offs in his first season at the club, but having initially arrived on loan from Cardiff, the club made his deal permanent the next summer.

Gestede continued scoring the next season, striking up a deadly partnership with Jordan Rhodes, as the pair notched a combined 41 goals.

Again, though, it wasn't enough to secure a place in the play-offs, and both players were sold that summer as the core of the team was disbanded.

The striker's Premier League struggles

Gestede would never reach the same heights he managed in Lancashire, and a combination of injuries and form saw him net just eight times for Aston Villa before making the move to Middlesbrough.

He'd suffer similar issues at the Riverside and left Boro in 2020, playing out the rest of his career in Australia, Greece, and Iran before retiring in 2022.

Ultimately, Gestede scored more goals across his two seasons at Blackburn than he managed in the rest of his career in England.

During spells with Cardiff, Aston Villa, and Middlesbrough, Gestede scored 26 goals in 189 appearances, whilst at Blackburn, he managed to net 35 goals in 72 appearances. He made Rovers a healthy profit too.

What could've been for Blackburn and Gestede

Blackburn, the three-time first-division champions, haven't returned to the Premier League since their relegation in 2012.

They struggled following the departures of Gestede and Rhodes, culminating in their relegation to League One in 2017. While they've pushed towards the Championship play-offs in recent seasons, financial restraints saw star midfielder Adam Wharton leave for Crystal Palace in January, whilst manager John Dahl Tomasson, who led them to a seventh-placed finish last season, was sacked.

It has left Blackburn in a precarious position just above the relegation zone, and fans have begun feeling a distinct sense of déjà vu, as they look to regroup after losing their manager and their best young player in a matter of weeks.