Eugen Bopp

Eugen Bopp (born 5 September 1983) is a semi-professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Northern Premier League Division One South club Basford United. Born in Ukraine, he represented the Germany national under-19 team.

Early life

Bopp was born in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR to a German father and a Ukrainian mother. His brother Viktor Bopp is also a footballer.

Club career

Nottingham Forest

Bopp played in the Bayern Munich youth system before joining the Academy of English club Nottingham Forest as a 16-year-old on 20 June 2000. He signed for Forest after Academy manager Paul Hart persuaded him, despite there being interest from other European clubs. He progressed through the ranks and signed his first professional contract with Forest on 11 September 2000. Bopp was an important member of the Forest under-19 side, playing alongside Jermaine Jenas, that comfortably won their league in the 2000–01 season.

He 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 scored eight 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 on the last day of the 2004–05 season which ultimately relegated the opposition, dragging them down with Forest and Rotherham United.