His form attracted attention from Serie A's Perugia, and he signed with the club in 2003. He later returned to England and played for Blackburn Rovers, Charlton Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Stoke City, Cardiff City, Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday.
In 2014, Bothroyd began playing in Asia, first in Thailand for Muangthong United, and later in Japan for Júbilo Iwata and Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. He also played for the England national team, earning his only cap in 2010. He retired in 2021.