In an interview with the BBC Michael Chopra has revealed that he is actively pursuing becoming an Indian international in the near future.
With his grandparents on his father’s side born in India, Chopra is eligible for the Indian national side, but could be delayed in making his debut due to the technical issues around securing the correct paperwork.
This is a move into an entirely different international direction for the former England under 21 international who has played for England youth at every youth level from the under 15 side onwards.
With an England call up unlikely this is an understandable decision, every player wants to play international football and this could be his route into it and an opportunity to make his father’s side of the family proud.
With India a minnow in the international game ranked a mere 142nd in the world and a lowly 23rd in their continent, honours are likely to be hard to come by for the Cardiff international.
Having given up on playing for the England national team, this is a decision that will cause Cardiff manager Dave Jones a headache, should the paperwork be sorted in time for the Asian Cup in January.
If he does make his Indian debut he will become the superstar of Indian football and is likely to improve the side’s fortunes significantly. He will have the distinction of being only the second Indian international to have played professional football in England, the other player being Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia who had a spell at Bury Town.
An interesting decision but it seems that India have pulled off quite a coup.
