| Roy Chipolina | |
| Fullname: | Roy Alan Chipolina |
| Birth Date: | 20 January 1983 |
| Birth Place: | Enfield, England |
| Position: | Defender |
| Youthclubs1: | Southgate Saints |
| Youthyears2: | 2000–2003 |
| Youthclubs2: | Lincoln Red Imps |
| Years1: | 2003–2006 |
| Clubs1: | Rock Wolves |
| Years2: | 2006–2024 |
| Caps2: | 153 |
| Goals2: | 24 |
| Clubs2: | Lincoln Red Imps |
| Nationalyears1: | 2009–2013 |
| Nationalteam1: | Gibraltar XI (Non-FIFA) |
| Nationalcaps1: | 8 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 3 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2013–2024 |
| Nationalteam2: | Gibraltar |
| Nationalcaps2: | 75 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 5 |
| Club-Update: | 10 May 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 23:44, 21 March 2024 (UTC) |
Roy Alan Chipolina (born 20 January 1983) is a Gibraltarian former footballer who played as a defender for Lincoln Red Imps and the Gibraltar national team, for which he served as captain.[1]
Chipolina has played for Rock Wolves between 2003 and 2006, and then Gibraltar Premier Division side Lincoln Red Imps since 2006.[2] He became the first Gibraltarian, and oldest player, to score in the fledgling UEFA Europa Conference League when he scored in a 4–1 defeat to Slovan Bratislava on 4 November 2021.[3]
He announced his retirement from football on 9 October 2024.[4]
Chipolina made his international debut with the Gibraltar national team on 18 November 2013 in a 0–0 home draw with Slovakia,[5] Gibraltar's first game since being admitted to UEFA.[6] Chipolina scored Gibraltar's first UEFA goal, in their second official game, on 1 March 2014 against the Faroe Islands at Victoria Stadium, which they lost 4–1.[7]
Chipolina was born in Enfield, London, but moved to Gibraltar at age four. He moved back to England aged 12, and attended Southgate School, where he featured heavily for the school football team and their offshoot, the Southgate Saints. During his time in Southgate, he had a trial period of three months at Luton Town. He moved back to Gibraltar at age 18. Chipolina works as a Customs Officer in Gibraltar.[8]
Roy is a cousin of fellow Gibraltar footballers Joseph (born 1987) and Kenneth (born 1994) Chipolina.[9] [10]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gibraltar | 2013 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2015 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2016 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | 10 | 1 | ||
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 7 | 3 | ||
| 2023 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 75 | 5 | ||
Scores and results list Gibraltar's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Chipolina goal.
| scope=col | No. | scope=col | Date | scope=col | Venue | scope=col | Opponent | scope=col | Score | scope=col | Result | scope=col | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 March 2014 | Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar | 1–0 | 1–4 | Friendly | ||||||||
| 2 | 15 October 2019 | Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar | 2–2 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | ||||||||
| 3 | 23 September 2022 | Huvepharma Arena, Razgrad, Bulgaria | 1–1 | 1–5 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C | ||||||||
| 4 | 16 November 2022 | Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | ||||||||
| 5 | 19 November 2022 | Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
Lincoln Red Imps