Jay Rodriguez reveals the Southampton player who was his greatest teammate.

Jay Rodriguez enjoyed a career filled with goals, representing clubs including his hometown side Burnley, West Bromwich Albion and Southampton. However, the most productive Premier League season of his career came at St Mary’s, where he became an important figure in Mauricio Pochettino’s impressive Saints team during the 2013/14 campaign.

Southampton finished eighth that season, establishing foundations for a period in which they regularly challenged near the top end of the Premier League and eventually reached the EFL Cup final in 2017. Although Pochettino departed and several important players soon followed him out of the club, the team’s progress helped create an exciting period in Southampton’s recent history.

Rodriguez was central to that success, scoring 15 league goals. He formed an effective partnership with Rickie Lambert, who contributed 13, while Morgan Schneiderlin, Jack Cork and a young James Ward-Prowse also played important roles in the side.

Despite sharing the dressing room with several outstanding footballers, Rodriguez has singled out another member of that Southampton squad as the finest player he ever played alongside: Adam Lallana.

Rodriguez identifies Lallana as his best teammate

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Rodriguez announced his retirement last week, prompting memories of his time at Southampton and the contribution he made during the club’s memorable rise in the early 2010s.

The former striker appeared on the I Had Trials Once podcast, where he discussed his career with hosts Gaz Seddon and Gary Stopforth. Their conversation included a look back at the Southampton team in which Rodriguez earned his only senior England appearance.

The discussion touched on a number of players from that squad, including Nathaniel Clyne, Luke Shaw and Jose Fonte, as well as Schneiderlin, Cork, Lambert and Ward-Prowse. Rodriguez was asked which teammates stood out as particularly special footballers.

His answer came without hesitation. He selected Lallana, explaining that he had consistently regarded the midfielder as the best player he had shared a pitch with. Rodriguez praised his former teammate’s technical ability, understanding of the game and leadership, while also highlighting his standards in training.

He described Lallana as intensely committed, saying the midfielder expected others to work as hard as he did. His passion for football and determination to give everything in training made a lasting impression on Rodriguez.

Lallana was among the Southampton players who moved on after the club’s eighth-place finish. He joined Liverpool alongside Lambert and Dejan Lovren, while Shaw moved to Manchester United and Calum Chambers signed for Arsenal.

Lallana’s career and the impact of injuries

Rodriguez’s praise is understandable given the quality Lallana demonstrated throughout his career. The midfielder had been a major part of Southampton’s progress from League One, helping the club secure successive promotions under Nigel Adkins.

Across the two League One campaigns, Lallana scored 23 goals and provided 15 assists. He continued to influence matches after Southampton reached the Championship, recording 11 goals and 10 assists during the 2011/12 promotion season.

After moving to Liverpool in 2014, Lallana became one of the important players during the early years of Jürgen Klopp’s time at Anfield. In the 2016/17 Premier League campaign, he scored eight goals and supplied seven assists, demonstrating how important he had become to Liverpool’s midfield.

However, injuries began to interrupt his progress. A hamstring problem during the following season forced him to miss 31 matches. Although he continued to contribute when available, he struggled to enjoy an extended period without fitness problems.

The injuries have naturally encouraged questions about what Lallana might have achieved had he remained consistently fit, particularly during Liverpool’s rise under Klopp.

Rodriguez reflects on an impressive career

Rodriguez also enjoyed a career worth celebrating. Across roughly 14 years in senior football, he established himself as a dependable goalscorer in both the Premier League and Championship, often producing double-figure returns without always receiving the attention given to other forwards.

His most prolific season came with West Brom in 2018/19. Playing alongside Dwight Gayle, he scored more than 20 goals as the Baggies reached the Championship play-offs.

He also remained productive later in his career. During the 2022/23 campaign, aged 33, Rodriguez scored ten times for Vincent Kompany’s Burnley side as they secured the Championship title.

Injuries and increased competition for places subsequently restricted his opportunities at Burnley and later Wrexham. His retirement now provides an opportunity to look back on the teams and players he encountered throughout his career.

Among those memories, his time at Southampton clearly stands out. The attacking football, the club’s rise and the quality within Pochettino’s squad made that period particularly memorable. For Rodriguez, however, one teammate stood above the rest. His assessment of Lallana offers another reminder of the midfielder’s exceptional ability and the career that injuries may have prevented from reaching even greater heights.