Berahino announced his decision in a statement titled A Letter to the Game, reflecting on a career that took him from West Bromwich Albion’s academy to the Premier League and international football with the country of his birth.
“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,” he wrote.
The forward became one of English football’s most talked-about young strikers during his breakthrough at West Brom. His most productive season came in 2014-15, when he scored 20 goals across the Premier League and cup competitions, establishing himself as a player with the potential to reach the highest level.
Berahino scored 36 goals in 121 appearances for West Brom in all competitions. His first start for the club, against Newport County in the League Cup in August 2013, produced a hat-trick and offered an early glimpse of his finishing ability.
A £12 million move to Stoke City in January 2017 was supposed to provide the next step in his career, but his time there proved difficult. Stoke were relegated from the Premier League in 2018, and although Berahino scored five times during the 2018-19 campaign, he subsequently fell out of favour.
His contract was terminated by mutual consent in 2019, with several years still remaining. He moved to Belgium, playing for Zulte Waregem and Charleroi, before returning to England to join Sheffield Wednesday in 2021 under former West Brom manager Darren Moore.
Further spells in Cyprus, India and Slovenia followed, extending a career that took him well beyond the English game. Berahino also represented England at youth level through to the under-21s and was called into the senior squad twice under Roy Hodgson, although he never made a full international appearance for England.
He later switched allegiance to Burundi, becoming a prominent figure for the national side and scoring twice in 23 appearances. He represented the country at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, a significant moment in his international career.
In his retirement message, Berahino reserved particular gratitude for the club that first gave him an opportunity.
“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 former striker also thanked his family and the supporters who stood by him throughout his career, acknowledging that his journey had included difficult periods as well as major achievements.
“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.”
His statement closed with a reflection on the journey from Burundi to the English game.
“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.”
Berahino’s playing days are over, but his involvement in football will continue through his work with Burundi’s national team, where he hopes to help the next generation follow a path into the game.