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HonoursPlayer Info A school boy phenomenon for club and country, the former Gosforth High player has of yet failed to make the breakthrough with his hometown team after breaking goalscoring records with the Academy and many fans are questioning whether he ever will. With a year to run on his contract and farmed out on loan during season 2004-05, all hope of making it with the club he has supported all his life seemed all but over. However a recall in the fall of 2005 and a new one year contract extension, has given Chopra one final chance to establish himself as a Toon player. Can he grab the opportunity he craves? Here we profile a player determined to do just that. Starting out Born in Gosforth Michael Chopra is of mixed race with an Indian father (Minty) and a Geordie born mother (Sharon). Yet despite his old man's roots, the Toon striker is not the archetypal British Asian, with a broad and distinctive Geordie accent he takes after his mother in that sense. In a sporting sense however, he takes after his father. It wasn't cricket the youngster was into though, but football. His da - a keen amateur player for local side Prudhoe East End - was a bit of a wing wizard in his playing days and Newcastle daft as a youngster. Minty was 10 when he first watched United at St. James' Park, first standing in the old Leazes End and when that got knocked down, moving to the other side to the Gallowgate. With football such a big thing in his life, it was only natural for his son to follow in his footsteps. Chopra started kicking a ball at the age of 4 and two years later his da decided he was old enough to start going to the match with him. Sitting on one of the old concrete crush barriers at the Gallowgate with his father holding onto him tightly, it was there that Chopra thought 'that's what I want to be' - a professional footballer. From playing headers and volleys in the street Chopra went on to feature for his school sides Regent Park First, Gosforth West Middle and then for Alan Shearer's former school Gosforth High. And it was while at Gosforth High that Chopra's name would become synomonous with goals. Prolific for his school team the teenager soon signed up for local side Montagu Boys Club and more goals quickly followed, along with a move to Newcastle United. Newcastle Academy & Reserves Chopra, stick thin and small for his age, arrived at Newcastle as an 8 year-old for trials. Spotted by John Carver while playing for Montagu, the United Director of Excellence liked what he saw and signed him up. "He's a good sensible lad as well as a promising young player and if he keeps working hard he's got every chance", said Carver of the then youngster. Carver a former Montagu Boys youth player himself. The youngster's big heroes were Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley at the time and when the Toon maestro requested a chat with Chopra, the starry eyed striker jumped at the chance. Like Carver and everyone else who had clapped eyes on the Gosforth lad, Beardsley was sure he would become a special player and wanted to offer his own words of advice and encouragement as he saw parallels with his own game. Beardsley was also small and of slight frame but like Chopra he was a willing runner and worked tremendously hard for the team, showing imagination in the final third to beat defenders Becoming a friend to the senior Newcastle players, regarded as one of the country's brightest prospects and receiving special attention because of his Asian roots, the intense spotlight was never going to get in the way of Chopra and the back of the net however. While at the Academy he broke many records, hitting the back of the net as regular as clock-work. In 2000-01 he hit 28 goals for the under-17s and the following season for the under-19s he smacked in 14 goals in his first 9 games, one of the best ratios in the country. His goals and performances through the youth levels seen him move up into the reserves at the age of 17, one step away from first-team football. And despite playing against (and with) professionals as well as players much older than he was, the goals kept flowing for him with 7 in 17 appearances. Season 2002-03 just underlined his talent further as he hit 9 goals in his first 5 games - including two hat-tricks - and many within the corridors of St. James' Park were hinting that his time to move up a level was only around the corner. United's starlet was being compared to Liverpool's Michael Owen and the Geordie lad, along with Everton's Wayne Rooney, was seen as the cream of the promising youngsters coming through the game. But Chopra coped with it well, speaking about the acclaim the youngster said: "I know some people are already saying I will play for the first team, but I don't let that talk get to me. I just take it in my stride. I've always had my heart set on being a footballer ever since I was six, and to play for Newcastle United." "Just the thought of having the chance to make it as a footballer is the perfect motivation. I might have to make some sacrifices, I cannot always go out with my friends. But you have to work hard if you want to make it in football, and my parents are a great help too." In October 2002 Chopra made the bench for Newcastle's Premiership game against Charlton and just a month later, would be making his first-team debut at the age of 18 to complete a boyhood dream. Newcastle first-team Newcastle were so confident in Chopra's ability they gave their pocket sized hotshot a 3 year professional contract in 2000 and just 2 years later he made his first professional appearance for the club, coming on as a second half substitute at St. James' Park to rapturous applause from 34,584 of his fellow Geordies. The opposition were Everton and the competition was the League Cup and pitched at the opposite end was his fellow England youth team-mate, Wayne Rooney. One match report read: "St. James' Park, home to one great English striker, got a sneak preview of two future potential heirs to Alan Shearer's crown in the shape of the diminutive Michael Chopra and Everton's manlike Wayne Rooney." The report went on to hypothesize that the pair could spearhead England in later years. For Chopra though his mind was fixed on Everton and despite showing early nerves he soon settled down, taking up excellent positions and coming close once or twice in the penalty area. But the night belonged to Rooney and his Toffeemen who won a penalty shoot-out to claim victory, with the Blue's striker converting his. No such luck for Chopra however who missed his but the manner in which he stepped up to volunteer himself in front of a large crowd impressed everyone, not least of all the man who's shirt he one day hopes to claim as his own. "It takes guts to take a penalty, I should know and I feel for him, but his time will come and he'll get more chances. He's inconsolable in there (dressing room) but he's a strong character. He can be pleased with his performance so he shouldn't be too down on himself", said Alan Shearer after the match. A month later Chopra got a taste of Champions League football and in a game he'll never forget too, coming on as a substitute at the Nou Camp in a 3-1 defeat to the mighty Barcelona. More first-team action followed but it meant a move away from Tyneside, joining London side Watford at the tail end of the campaign to gain further experience. After a successful stint with Watford Chopra returned to Newcastle for season 2003-04 and made 6 appearances in total, 5 as a sub and a first ever Premiership start at home to Blackburn Rovers where he had a goal disallowed for off-side. Out on loan England Youth Chopra the man Not much is known about Chopra. What we do know though is that he's from a working-class family and he isn't one for spending his hours at parties or out on the Quayside. He's very low profile and shuns the limelight. As a British-Asian Chopra is very conscientious of setting the right example to impressionable youngsters who look up to him and see him as a role model. As the first ever British-Asian to play in the Premiership, he could lead the way for more to follow in his footsteps and in that sense he's aware of what that could mean to the sport and indeed the Asian community in the UK. Character wise, he's made of stern stuff. Moving to Yorkshire to play for Barnsley could have been a culture shock to the Geordie lad but he settled down, worked hard and got stuck in. In his time at Oakwell he suffered racist abuse from the stands because of his Asian roots, booing and jeering for one or two poor performances, niggly injuries, being kicked up and down by uncompromising centre-halfs, a change in manager mid-way through the season, partnered with various types of strikers and being played out of position at times. Yet despite all that he ended the campaign picking up Barnsley's player of the season, winning over the boo boys and impressing everyone from the tea-lady to the local media. They loved him at Oakwell and were sorry to see him return to Newcastle. That says a lot about his temperament and his dedication to his own game and it is those qualities as a person that will see him carve out a decent career in the game just as much as his actual footballing talent. Chopra the future? Chopra, a victim of hype, expectations and playing for a big Premiership club with a transfer budget running into the millions. From a bairn and now to a man, all he wants in life is to play for Newcastle United and to make it with the team he grew up watching from the stands. Having shown he has what it takes in the Football League he now needs to show that he can cut it in the Premiership. Yet playing for a club with Alan Shearer as it's centre-forward, a club with the funds to buy big and with fans expecting to see top-class quality out on the field, his chances of doing so are extremely slim. He needs to grab any opportunity that does come his way with both hands and it really is make or break time for Chopra in Black & White colors. Can he make it is the big question? All logic points to a NO! But we keep our fingers crossed and you never know. *This profile of Michael Chopra is copyright of Newcastle-Online.com and may not be reproduced, rewrote or copied in part in any way, shape or form without prior written consent*
*Does not include this season - to be added at the end of the campaign. Notes: Please allow for any inaccuracies. If you do spot a mistake, then please report them and we will make the necessary changes. |
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NUFC Player Profiles - Michael Chopra
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Name: Michael Chopra
Michael Chopra - Strengths & Weaknesses