Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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Rovers signed striker, Yordi, in February 2002 on a short term loan from Real Zaragoza. The Spaniard's height and style of play made him a target man option in a Rovers attacking line already consisting of the likes of Matt Jansen, Andy Cole and Corrado Grabbi.

Yordi made his Rovers debut at the Reebok Stadium, coming off the bench as a second half substitute in a 1-1 draw against Bolton.

His first Rovers goal came in the form of a towering header against Southampton at Ewood Park in April 2002, a game which ended in a 2-0 Rovers win. His second goal for the club came in the same month. This time, at The Riverside Stadium, with the striker tapping home to put Rovers 1-0 up after excellent wing play from Damien Duff. Rovers ended up 3-1 victors on the day.

Yordi would go on to make nine appearances in total for Rovers, with eight of those coming in the Premier League. He made the starting 11 in five of those eight games, but only completed the full 90 minutes once in a Rovers shirt. The latter occurring in a 3-1 away defeat against Leeds.

Memorably for Yordi, he left Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2002 as a League Cup winner. The striker came off the bench in the cup final against Tottenham, replacing Matt Jansen and played the final 16 minutes as Rovers took home the trophy. Yordi collected a winner's medal along with the rest of the Rovers squad and it is surely a happy memory for the man who only played in England for four months out of a 17 year career.