"Maybe one day I will be back": Max Bird bids farewell to Derby County

£2.4m£2.4m
£2.4m
Max Bird agreed to join Bristol City in the January transfer window

Max Bird has been one of Derby’s best players over the past few years, however, he is now moving on in his career.

The 22 year-old is joining Bristol City after he signed for the Robins in January but returned on a loan deal for the rest of the season at Derby.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bird was a product of the Rams’ academy and made his professional debut at just 16 years old. The midfielder has made 200 appearances and has netted ten goals.

He spoke to Rams TV to make a farewell to Rams fans and reflected on his 14 year career at Derby.

He said: “I am forever grateful for what everyone has done and the player they have made me. It was a tough decision, it wasn't an easy decision to make but I felt it was the right opportunity and right time to move on.

“I could sit here for hours and talk about each individual that I've come across and who I've been delighted to work with. I want to keep in touch with all of them.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bird’s aim after agreeing to leave was simple, to get Derby back to the Championship. The midfielder ended his time at Pride Park in dream fashion after he scored a fantastic goal from the edge of the box to put Derby 1-0 up in the final game of the season which earnt them automatic promotion.

It couldn’t have ended better for Bird. “I was always going to score! You can ask the lads, you can ask anyone. I had it on my whiteboard at home from when I got injured. So, for about six or seven weeks, I had on my whiteboard that I'd score the goal to get this football club promoted.

“I knew I was going to score and I knew we'd be promoted, it's just how I felt. It was exactly how I visualised it and I couldn't have wished for a better send off.”

After Derby’s promotion was all but secured, Bird was taken off in the last game by Paul Warne as to get a reception from the fans. The whole of Pride Park was singing his name whilst an emotional Bird walked off the pitch.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “I was just expecting to come off and the fans would give me a clap but I wasn't expecting them to sing my name, I wasn't expecting the lads to come and give me a huge hug and tell me it's been a pleasure; that was really tough to hold back.

“I think there's a clip of me on the bench where I'm trying really hard to keep it all in and it really did mean a lot.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice