LEICESTER CITY ace Hamza Choudhury has switched his national allegiance to Bangladesh after spending his youth in the England national setup.
Choudhury, 27, was born in Loughborough to a Bangladeshi mother and has been capped seven times for England’s U21 side.
But after failing to break into the senior side, the midfielder has decided to play for Bangladesh.
Choudhury has been bombarded with requests to join the Bangladeshi national setup for years as fans flooded his DMs with their pleas to see him play for Fifa’s 185th ranked team.
And the star will now become the only player in the national squad who doesn’t currently play in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Speaking on the decision, Choudhury told The Athletic: “It’s something that’s been in the works for a couple of years.
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“I represented England in the youth team, but as my career progressed, it came to fruition that is not an option for me.
“It’s something I’ve definitely always had in the back of my mind, that I’d like to represent Bangladesh — and the people of Bangladesh more importantly.
“I’ve got a really good connection with the fans in Bangladesh. I get messages every day letting me know that they want me to come and play.”
Choudhury has now made over 125 appearances for Leicester City since graduating from the Foxes’ academy as a teenager, playing twice in the Premier League this season.
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The former Watford Loanee has already been granted a Bangladesh passport and has been awaiting clearance to join up with the national squad.
Bangladesh’s next fixture is an Asian Cup qualification match against India in March with Choudhury expected to be part of the team for the clash.
Choudhury is hoping to do more than just improve the national team’s results on the pitch, but also wants to improve the infrastructure of the national setup going forward.
He added: “They’ve just not been really fortunate enough or have the infrastructure yet to develop and grow these players to reach the European leagues, which hopefully can provide a stepping stone for them to have more players in the European leagues or the top leagues.
“I know they are absolutely crazy about football. I hope I can open up channels for more Bangladeshis to play in the top five leagues or in Europe, or just have a way of getting themselves into the bigger leagues and giving them some more exposure.
“Hopefully, in time, I can put into place some sort of structure in the younger age groups and the younger local teams to be able to do that.
“The Bangladesh Federation has been doing lots of work already, but if I can give them a different sort of outlook, a European outlook, I hope that helps.”
Choudhury is now the first Bangladeshi player to ever play in the Premier League.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
