Top 5 current footballers of Indian origin

Michael Chopra (Ipswich Town)

Born in Newcastle, Chopra was the first Indian-origin footballer to play in the English Premier League, making his senior league debut for the Magpies ten years ago. The 29-year-old striker had struggled to become a regular at Newcastle United but still managed to get the distinction of scoring the fastest goal after coming on as a substitute in the EPL. The former English youth international also had a spell for Newcastle’s bitter rivals Sunderland and back in 2010 held talks with the AIFF about the possibility of representing India at international level.

But with Indian laws not permitting dual citizenship, Chopra is unlikely to ever play for India. He has been playing in the second tier of English football for the last five years, also being in the PFA Championship team of the season in 2009-10 while playing for Cardiff City. He has been at Ipswich Town since 2011, being one of their top scorers in his first season there but he wasn’t much prolific in the 2012-13 campaign and was also handed a 10-year ban from racing by the British Horseracing Authority last year after being charged with suspicious betting activity.