Burundi striker Saido Berahino has retired from active football at the age of 33.

The former West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City striker who made 23 appearances for the Burundi national team and played at Afcon 2019 in Egypt confirmed the development on Instagram in a message titled ‘A Letter To The Game.’

In the same letter, he confirmed his next chapter, a coaching role on the Burundi national team.

Here is the FULL letter. “I want to thank West Bromwich Albion for believing in me when I was a boy.

“Those years at the club, the goals, the fans, the moments, they will always be special. There were highs and lows, mistakes and lessons. I learned that the game can lift you up and test you at the same time.

“The time has come to hang up the boots. My body and my heart are ready for the next chapter. I am proud and grateful to now serve the Burundi national team as a coach. Giving back to the country that made me, and helping the next generation, feels right.

“To my family – you have been my strength. To the fans who stayed with me through every chapter – I will never forget your support. This is not goodbye to football. It is simply the end of one story and the beginning of another.

“Football has given me everything. From the streets of Bujumbura to The Hawthorns, from the Premier League to places I never imagined I’d play – this game carried a young refugee kid through life.”

Besides West Bromwich and Stoke City, Berahino has played for Waregem, Charleroi, Sheffield Wednesday as well as clubs in Cyprus, India and Slovenia.

Before turning out for Burundi, Berahino was previously been capped by England at all age levels up to and including under-21 and twice called up for England’s full squad by then manager Roy Hodgson – but was not picked to play.