Author: Nuha Khan
Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury makes history as the first Premier League player to join the Bangladesh national football team. Born in England to a Bengali mother and Grenadian father, Choudhury made history in 2017 by becoming the first (and currently only) premiere player of Bengali origin. The 27-year-old started at Leicester City’s academy at age seven and eventually joined the first team as a defensive midfielder. The young talent helped the team win the FA cup and FA Community Shield in 2021.
Having been raised by his Bengali mother and Bengali stepfather, Choudhury has always expressed pride in his Asian heritage, inspiring him to publish his autobiography comic, “Hamza: My Story”. In it, the athlete illustrates how his multicultural upbringing and encouraging family led him to soccer stardom. As he writes, “Being yourself is important in life and football. It was a lesson taught to me growing up: to love who you are and what you do. Without embracing my heritage, my skin and even my hair, I would not be the person or the footballer I am today. This is my story so far”.
Choudry represented the English U-21 team on seven occasions, gaining recognition as an upcoming star eager to one play for the country’s first team. Despite this, for years, Bengali fans flooded Choudhury’s social media comments with encouragement to represent Bangladesh on the global stage. In 2022, the player offered supporters hope by stating, “[…] I’d be more than proud, more than honored to go and play for Bangladesh, and almost have more of a reach […]”. Two years later, he applied for the Bangladeshi passport and is now set to represent the Bengal Tigers.
Hamza Choudry’s football journey is one that personifies the globalized nature of the sport. As a young boy from England, he developed his talent at a leading football academy while discovering his unique heritage. As a British-Bengali, Hamza Choudry is now able to export his European experience to uplift the Bangladesh national team and develop the country’s deep love for football. As he mentioned, “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”(The Athletic). Choudry’s story is not only an inspiration to aspiring Asian-European athletes but also a representation of how diaspora members can return to uplift their countries of family origin. Hamza Choudry honored his English upbringing while playing for their U-21 team and is now choosing to pay tribute to his Bengali heritage and family by joining the Bengal Tigers.
Choudry is expected to make his Bangladesh debut against India in March.
Image Credit: “Hamza Choudhury 23082025 (3).jpg” by Timmy96 via Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication).
Goal Diplomacy 