Cardiff City great breaks down in tears and reveals he slept with knives in his bed
Cardiff City legend Michael Chopra has broken down in a candid interview about his gambling addiction during his playing days, revealing his father had to bail him out of a £30,000 debt and that he slept with knives in his bed.
Chopra has been open about his problems with gambling in the past, revealing in this latest interview that Ipswich Town, for whom he played between 2011 and 2013, had to loan him £250,000 to pay off some of his debts.
“When I was at Ipswich I borrowed money from people in Essex,” he said in an emotional interview with The Central Club podcast. “A car full of Somalians turned up at the training ground and stuff like that.
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“I didn’t borrow the money off the Somalians, they sent them to come up and see me. Even at Ipswich, I don’t know how I was playing because when I was training I was always looking about thinking [or worried about] getting a text.
“I did alright the first year at Ipswich, but I’d get a text saying, ‘Such and such is going to come and see you’ and stuff like that.
“It got to the point where somebody would be waiting pretending that they’re asking for an autograph and they [would say], ‘Listen, go and get the money sorted now’ sort of thing while they were pretending that I was signing a book.
“It got to a point where I’d just had enough, I’d had enough of my life. I remember coming, and I get upset about, I remember coming down from Newcastle to Ipswich on the train and I sent a message to a couple of my close mates and my mum and dad and I was like, ‘I’ve had enough’.
“I was ready to do something, do you know what I mean? That was the situation I’d got in. So then I spoke to my dad and he was like, ‘Give me the number, I’ll speak to them, how much is it?’ and all that.
“My dad paid it straight away and that was the final nail in the whole thing. It was only 30 grand, it wasn’t big amounts."
Chopra's paranoia was such that, while living on his own during his time at Portman Road, he took extra precaution while going to bed at night.
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He continued: "I was going to sleep with chairs in front of the door just in case someone tried to get in. I was sleeping in my bed with kitchen knives and that sort of thing.
“Yet on a Saturday I’m scoring goals against Bristol City, Brighton and sides like that. People don’t realise what was going on.”
Chopra, now 40, is free from his gambling addiction. He cites that moment his father paid off the debt for him as a line in the sand and is now able to talk about the struggles he faced during his playing days.
And he recognises there are others out there who are suffering the same issues and wants to destigmatise the addiction among sportspeople. Sign up to our Cardiff City newsletter here.
He said: "At the time, I didn't want help. I didn't want to go to GA (Gamblers Anonymous) meetings. Until you realise that nail in the coffin. Until you realise you have got to change, it has to, otherwise I'm not going to be here. It's one of those things.
"It got to a point where I was thinking about doing things (to myself) and that sort of things. Until you realise what's more important in life and that things can actually change.
"I was really close (to harming myself). Especially after sending messages those messages to the people who were really close to me. And people wouldn't think that."
Chopra is revered as a Bluebirds legend, scoring 63 goals in 159 appearances across four spells in south Wales.
If you are struggling with a gambling addiction you can visit gambleaware.org. Similarly, if you have been affected by anything in this article and need help, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you need a response immediately, it’s best to call them on the phone. You can reach them by calling 116 123.