Cardiff City recruited two strikers between 2006 and 2008, who proved to be fantastic additions to the club.
During the summer of 2006, the Bluebirds were preparing for their fourth season in the second tier of English football, having finished in the middle of the table three times since winning promotion through the play-offs in 2003.
That summer, Dave Jones bought Michael Chopra from Newcastle United for £500,000, and the striker went on to become a club legend during two consecutive stays in South Wales.
Cardiff bought another striker, Jay Bothroyd, from Wolverhampton Wanderers, for a total sum of £350,000 two years after Chopra arrived.
Between 2008 and 2011, both players helped Cardiff become a force to be reckoned with in the Championship, and while they were unable to lead them to the promised land of the Premier League, their goal-scoring exploits ensure that the club’s supporters remember their time fondly.
Jay Bothroyd and Michael Chopra impressed for Cardiff City.
Both Jay Bothroyd and Michael Chopra impressed in Cardiff, scoring a combined total of more than 100 goals and participating in two Championship play-off campaigns.
Chopra, who faced Barcelona in the Champions League at the Nou Camp for Newcastle before moving to Cardiff, scored 22 goals in the Championship in 2006/07, earning him a big-money move to Sunderland after only one season in South Wales.
However, he returned a year later, in 2008, and teamed up with Bothroyd, who had joined the club that summer from Arsenal.
Chopra scored 34 league goals and Bothroyd 41 in Cardiff’s three subsequent Championship seasons, as the club finished seventh in 2009 and fourth in 2010 and 2011.
Bothroyd’s ability to create opportunities for his teammates distinguished him as much as his goal-scoring talent, and his 15 assists were just as crucial as his 11 goals in the 2009/10 season. Unfortunately, Cardiff were defeated by Blackpool in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium, with Chopra’s goal failing to avert a 3-2 loss.
The following year, both players had excellent seasons, with Bothroyd scoring 18 league goals, but the Bluebirds were easily defeated by Reading in the play-off semi-final.
| Bothroyd and Chopra’s overall Cardiff records (Transfermarkt) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Jay Bothroyd | 133 | 45 | 32 |
| Michael Chopra | 159 | 63 | |
While neither Bothroyd nor Chopra were promoted to the Premier League with Cardiff, their effect helped the club transform from a mid-table second-tier team to real top-tier challengers, which may be said to have contributed to the club’s eventual elevation as champions in 2013.
Cardiff City would benefit, both on and off the pitch.
Jay Bothroyd joined Premier League club Queens Park Rangers on a free transfer in 2011, although Michael Chopra made Cardiff a profit overall. After a great debut season in South Wales, Chopra signed for Sunderland in the Premier League for £5 million in the summer of 2007.
He later returned to the Bluebirds on loan before the transfer was made permanent for £3 million. His ultimate transfer to Ipswich Town for £1.5 million ensured that Cardiff earned a profit on him altogether.
That fact, together with Bothroyd and Chopra’s impact on the pitch, explains why they are considered Cardiff City heroes.
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