Cardiff City & Blackpool icon makes shock career U-turn at 42 | OneFootball

The former Bluebirds and Tangerines forward retired from football a decade ago.

Playing football in your 40s is no longer a novelty, but returning to the beautiful game a decade after retiring is certainly more obscure.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modrić and Edin Dzeko are all examples of how long your playing career can be if you look after yourself, with the trio all appearing at the World Cup with their respective countries.

While all three are set to perform in the competition's knockout stages, a former Cardiff City and Blackpool star has come out of retirement at the ripe age of 42 to make his mark once more.

Michael Chopra signs for Non-League side Trethomas Bluebirds AFC

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Michael Chopra originally retired from football at the age of 32, a decade ago, after an extremely brief spell with the Indian side Kerala Blasters FC.

Chopra did come out of retirement in 2022 to represent West Allotment Celtic in 2022, and now he is back again.

The forward enjoyed a successful time in English football, including sublime stints with Cardiff and an iconically forgettable spell at Blackpool, and now he has returned to Wales for his next venture.

Cymru South club Trethomas Bluebirds FC announced the signing of the Newcastle-born man on X with the tag 'Once a Bluebird. Always a Bluebird'.

Below the announcement, the Welsh club posted a highlights video of Chopra's career, including some sensational finishes from his time in the Welsh capital.

In the comments, Chopra said: "Can't wait to get the boots back on and score some goals."

A look back at Chopra's illustrious career

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Cardiff and Blackpool supporters will have extremely different memories of Chopra, but looking back at his career, it is fair to say he made an impact at several clubs.

The forward came through the ranks at his boyhood club Newcastle United, and while he never made his mark at St James' Park, he did feature in the Premier League and Champions League before finding his feet in League One.

It was a loan move to third-tier side Barnsley where things really clicked for the Englishman, scoring 17 goals for the Tykes during the 2004/05 season.

Chopra finally secured a permanent move away from Tyneside by signing for Cardiff in the summer of 2026 and followed up his transfer by notching an incredible 22 goals and 12 assists for the Bluebirds in the Championship.

His two stints in the Welsh capital were sandwiched by a headline move to Newcastle's fierce foes Sunderland, where his most iconic moment came on his debut as he scored a stoppage-time winner for the Black Cats as they defeated Tottenham in the opening game of their Premier League return.

However, that move did not really work out, and the forward returned to Cardiff, where he bagged 41 more goals across three campaigns before making an impact at Ipswich Town.

Chopra's last spell in English football was for Blackpool, where he failed to score a single goal in 20 appearances, and it was a move marred with controversy as he was fined and temporarily dropped for posting an expletive tweet.

After he left Bloomfield Road, he even made some shocking claims that players had to wash their own kit, clean their own boots and even bring their own water to training.

Now at Trethomas Bluebirds FC, he may well have to get used to doing such tasks, and many will have their eyes on whether he still has his scoring boots.

How have Cardiff City fans reacted to Chopra news

It is fair to say that Cardiff's supporters are absolutely buzzing at Chopra's return, which is no shock given he will be playing for the Bluebirds.

One fan even made reference to his song, which supporters of his new club may well be singing next season.