Lukas Jutkiewicz played his final Birmingham City game at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park on Sunday
Lukas Jutkiewicz of Birmingham City celebrates with the EFL League One trophy
Lukas Jutkiewicz bid an emotional farewell to his playing career at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park on Sunday after it was confirmed that he will retire at the end of the season.
The striker has spent nine years at Birmingham City and made his 357th appearance for the club in their 4-0 victory over Mansfield. That will be his final outing at St Andrew’s with Blues concluding their season with away games at Blackpool and Cambridge United.
Jutkiewicz, 36, addressed supporters on the microphone after Blues lifted the League One winners’ trophy on Sunday.
He said: “It’s pretty incredible actually, what a day for everyone, everyone has worked tremendously hard all season and this club deserves these kind of days, this fanbase deserves this more than anyone.
“It’s been an emotional nine years and they’ve been incredible throughout, they’ve turned up when we needed them most, they turned up when others wouldn’t, and they deserve this more than any other fans in the land.
“You’ll have to bear with me. I’ve not addressed 28,000 people live before, believe it or not!
“I just wanted to say thank you to all you Bluenoses for the support. You deserve these days and I’ve tried to represent you as best as I can. I just love this football club, it deserves all the success in the world.
“I’d like to thank my family who are up in the stands for all the sacrifices you’ve made. To the manager and the coaching staff, days like this aren’t possible without all the work you put into it every single day, the tireless attitude, every detail you give the players, you’ve given everything this year to allow for moments like this.
“I want to thank my teammates for this year, you’ve really embraced the old fella and made me feel young again. It takes a lot of selfless attitudes, a lot of investment in each other, and you’ve done that every single day. I couldn’t think of a better changing room to share with in my final season.
“And then to Knighthead. This club was on its knees when they took over and without them, we wouldn’t have days like this, we would’ve been in a lot of trouble a long time ago.
“To be able to stay on at the club means the world to me. I’m going to give everything in my next step, so it’s a see you around, not a goodbye. Keep Right On.”
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