Michael Chopra

Rocky Michael Chopra (born 23 December 1983 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is an England Association footballer currently playing for the Premier League side Sunderland A.F.C.. Chopra is of both English people and Indian descent.

Chopra plays as a striker. He was originally a product of the Newcastle United F.C. Youth system. In his career he has also played for Cardiff City F.C. and has spent loan spells at Watford F.C., Nottingham Forest F.C. and Barnsley F.C.. He has represented England at the Under-15, Under-16, Under-17, Under-18, Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 levels.

The son of an English mother and an Indian father, Chopra made news for being the first player of Indian parentage to play and score in the Premier League.

Club career

Newcastle United Academy

Chopra attended Alan Shearer's former school, Gosforth High School, in Newcastle, and owing to his goal-scoring exploits there, and later with the Montagu Boys' Club, was recruited to the Newcastle United academy in July 1993.

In the 2000-01 in English football season, he scored 28 goals for the Newcastle Academy side that reached the Premier Academy League Under-17 playoff final. In December 2000 he signed his professional contract with Newcastle. The next season, playing for the Academy Under-19 team, he scored 14 goals in the first 9 games of the season, prompting a promotion to the Senior Reserves. He went on to score in the Northumberland Senior Cup final victory over Bedlington Terriers F.C. in September 2001. Then in October, Newcastle gave him a squad number. By the end of the season, he had made 17 appearances for the Reserves, scoring 7 goals.

First Team Football

The FA Premier League 2002-03 season started well, with Chopra scoring 9 goals in his first 5 games for the Under-19s and Reserves. In November he signed a new three-year deal with the club, and on November 6, he made his senior debut against Everton F.C. in the Football League Cup, substituting Lomana LuaLua. The game ended 3-3 but Newcastle lost the penalty shootout (football), with Chopra missing his spot kick.

He made his UEFA Champions League debut in December 2002, as a substitute against FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou, and also played against Bayer 04 Leverkusen before he moved on a month-long loan to Watford F.C. at the end of March 2003. He scored 5 goals in just 6 matches for Watford, appeared in a FA Cup semifinal against Southampton F.C., and scored four goals in a 7-4 win over Burnley F.C..

The season ended on a positive note when he made his Premiership debut for Newcastle in the 2-2 draw away to West Bromwich Albion F.C. on 11 May 2003. He also represented England at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship.

In FA Premier League 2003-04, he played four games for Newcastle before being loaned to Nottingham Forest F.C. for a month in February 2004 where he played five games. Returning from the loan spell he played another two games for Newcastle.

In August 2004 he went on another loan, this time to Barnsley F.C.. Playing in 39 matches in the Football League One, he scored 17 goals, including hat-tricks against Peterborough United F.C. and Huddersfield Town F.C.. He also represented Barnsley in the FA Cup and the League Cup, finishing as the club's top scorer and their Player of the Season.

Chopra began the 2005-06 in English football season back in Newcastle's first team squad and played in early UEFA Intertoto Cup ties, scoring his first senior goal for Newcastle in the 3-1 win away to Slovakian side FK ZŤS Dubnica on 17 July 2005. On 17 April 2006 Chopra scored his first Premiership goal against Sunderland A.F.C. in the 60th minute of the Tyne-Wear derby, which ended 1-4. The goal was the fastest in Premiership history, as Chopra had only been on the pitch for 10 seconds after coming on as a substitute.

Cardiff City

On 14 June 2006 Chopra joined Cardiff City F.C. for Pound sterling500,000 after turning down a new one-year contract at Newcastle in favour of guaranteed first-team football. Chopra and Cardiff had an excellent start to the season, with 36 points from 17 games leaving Cardiff top of the Football League Championship and Chopra, with 7 league goals was voted Championship player of the month for September and October. Chopra scored his first Cardiff hat-trick on 27 January against Leicester City F.C. in a 3-2 victory.

Chopra signed a contract extension with Cardiff City on 5 April 2007, and was named to the Professional Footballers Association Championship Team of the Year on 22 April. Although Cardiff dropped out of promotion contention, Chopra had a successful season, ending with 22 goals from 42 matches.

Sunderland

On 13 July 2007, newly promoted Premier League side Sunderland A.F.C. agreed a deal worth up to £5 million, activating a release clause, to sign Chopra on a four year contract. This caused unrest among some Sunderland fans due to the seemingly high price-tag and his Geordie roots. Chopra made his debut for Sunderland in their 1-0 win over eircom league side Bohemians F.C.. In this match Chopra missed an open goal and ran into his own team mate Dickson Etuhu. Chopra scored his first goal for Sunderland in a 4-0 friendly victory over Galway United F.C.. His first competitive goal for Sunderland came in his first competitive match for the club, and was the first goal of the Premier League 2007-08, when Chopra came on as a substitute late in the second half and scored the winning goal against Tottenham Hotspur F.C. in injury time with 13 seconds remaining on the clock. This led to many Sunderland fans chanting 'Chopra's one of us!' Chopra also scored in the second Premier League match of the season against Birmingham City F.C..

Chopra could have scored against former side and childhood club Newcastle United but his goal drought continued after his header collided with the bar from only 5 yards out. Chopra finally scored against Reading from the penalty spot on the 23 December, sending Marcus Hahnemann the wrong way to end his goal drought. He scored a goal for Sunderland in their 1–0 win away to Aston Villa., making it their first away win in the Premiership since they defeated West Brom in 2006. He scored his sixth and final of the season in Sunderlands 3–2 win over local rivals Middlesbrough, finishing as the second highest scorer at the club being just one goal behind Kenwyne Jones. As he returned from suspension, he scored a brace in his first game of the 2008-09 in English football as Sunderland beat Middlesbrough F.C. 2–0 on 20 September 2008.

Personal life

Michael appeared in OK! magazine in the UK in October 2007 announced he had become engaged to Heather Swan, and that they were expecting their first baby. On February 15 2008, they welcomed a 6lbs 10oz baby boy, Sebastian Rocco Thomas Chopra. On Thursday 28 August 2008, it was announced that he had checked into a rehab, in an attempt to overcome his personal problems.