 Chopra playing for Cardiff City in 2011. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rocky Michael Chopra[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 23 December 1983[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Newcastle upon Tyne, England | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | West Allotment Celtic | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1993–2000 | Newcastle United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2006 | Newcastle United | 21 | (1) |
| 2003 | → Watford (loan) | 5 | (5) |
| 2004 | → Nottingham Forest (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | → Barnsley (loan) | 39 | (17) |
| 2006–2007 | Cardiff City | 42 | (22) |
| 2007–2009 | Sunderland | 39 | (8) |
| 2008 | → Cardiff City (loan) | 11 | (5) |
| 2009 | → Cardiff City (loan) | 16 | (4) |
| 2009–2011 | Cardiff City | 73 | (25) |
| 2011–2013 | Ipswich Town | 78 | (18) |
| 2013–2014 | Blackpool | 18 | (0) |
| 2014 | Kerala Blasters | 9 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Alloa Athletic | 23 | (2) |
| 2016 | Kerala Blasters | 10 | (1) |
| 2022 | West Allotment Celtic | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 389 | (108) | |
| International career | |||
| 1997–1999 | England U16 | 10 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | England U17 | 5 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | England U19 | 7 | (0) |
| 2001–2003 | England U20 | 9 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Rocky Michael Chopra (born 23 December 1983) is an English former professional footballer who plays as a striker.
A product of the Newcastle United youth system, he spent six years at the club without managing to secure a regular first team place, instead spending time on loan at Watford, Nottingham Forest, and Barnsley. He was sold to Cardiff City for £500,000 in June 2006, and won a place on the PFA Team of the Year for his performances in the 2006–07 season. He then made a £5 million move to Premier League side Sunderland in July 2007, before returning to Cardiff on a loan deal that was made permanent in July 2009 for £3 million. He again was included in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2009–10 campaign, before being sold on to Ipswich Town for £1 million in June 2011. He joined Blackpool on a free transfer in July 2013, before moving to the Indian Super League with the Kerala Blasters for the inaugural 2014 season. Chopra signed for Scottish Championship club Alloa Athletic in March 2015, playing for the side for a year before being released in March 2016. He returned to India to play for the Kerala Blasters again before retiring. As of 2022 Michael has since come back out of retirement to play with West Allotment Celtic.
He has represented England at the under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-20 levels. In 2006, he scored what was then the fastest goal by a substitute in Premier League history, scoring after being on the pitch for 15 seconds. A gambling addiction made him fall in severe debt and he had to seek professional help to overcome his addiction.
- ^ a b Hugman, Barry J. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Queen Anne Press. p. 119. ISBN 1-85291-665-6.