| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eugen Bopp | ||
| Date of birth | 5 September 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Kiev, Soviet Union | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Free agent | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2001 | FC Bayern Munich | ||
| 2001–2002 | Nottingham Forest | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2006 | Nottingham Forest | 89 | (11) |
| 2006–2007 | Rotherham United | 29 | (5) |
| 2007–2009 | Crewe Alexandra | 17 | (2) |
| 2009–2010 | Portsmouth | 0 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | FC Carl Zeiss Jena | 16 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Eugen Bopp (born 5 September 1983 in Kiev) is a Ukrainian-born German footballer, who is currently a free agent.[1]
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He was born in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR but has German nationality. His brother Viktor Bopp is also a footballer.
Eugen Bopp moved to Germany when he was young and joined the prestigious Bayern Munich youth academy. However, knowing that he would find it hard to ever get into the Bayern first team, he happily accepted an offer a year later to move to England and join the reputable academy at Nottingham Forest. He quickly began to make a name for himself with some exciting performances laden with goals and flair. In one academy game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, he scored a hat-trick from midfield, the third goal of which being an overhead kick from the edge of the area.
He progressed through the ranks and eventually played 77 games for the Forest first team, but only half of those were in the starting line-up. In his four years at the club he only scored 8 goals and despite some strong reserve performances, he struggled to ever truly establish himself in the first team. His best spell of form at the club was during the 2002–03 season, this was abruptly ended by a rash challenge from Derby County's Craig Burley from which he suffered a serious knee injury. Bopp never returned to those heady heights and was eventually released at the end of the 2005–06 season. He is probably best known during his time at Forest for his thrilling late equaliser against Gillingham FC on the last day of the 2004–05 season which ultimately relegated the opposition, dragging them down with Forest and Rotherham United.
Following his release from Nottingham Forest, he was taken on trial by Rotherham United for the majority of the South Yorkshire club's pre-season. After an impressive trial spell he signed a short term contract on 3 August 2006 and was given the number 25 shirt. As a result of his continued excellent performances on the pitch (and one spectacular goal against Scunthorpe United F.C.), Bopp was offered a contract extension until the end of the season. He played in 30 games for the Millers (24 league, 5 FA Cup, and 1 League Cup matches) and scored 5 goals.
Bopp was signed by Crewe Alexandra on 30 May 2007.[2] He initially struggled to fit into the team, and was available for transfer during the January window.[3] However, he returned to the side for a match against Brighton, and did well enough to retain his place. Once again, speculation about Bopp's future arose as he struggled to maintain his place in the squad, and on 7 May Crewe announced that Bopp's contract had been terminated by mutual consent.[4]
Bopp was a surprise inclusion in the Portsmouth squad for the first 2009–10 pre-season friendly away to Havant and Waterlooville. Bopp played the entire second half and scored both of Portsmouth's goals in a 2–2 draw.[5]
After an injury crisis, Portsmouth were eager to sign Bopp ahead of a Premier League match against Wigan on 31 October 2009. However, the Premier League refused to register the player because of Portsmouth's debts and a transfer embargo was placed on the club. Bopp has continued, however, to play games for the reserve team.
He most recently played for Portsmouth Reserves and signed on 7 December 2010 with German 3rd Liga club FC Carl Zeiss Jena.[6] Bopp played his debut for Carl Zeiss Jena in the match on 11 December 2010 against Dynamo Dresden.[7] He was released by the club in June 2011.
He is an attacking midfield player with a reputation for scoring spectacular goals from long distance, and is something of a cult figure amongst Nottingham Forest and Rotherham United supporters.