Bangladesh rope in Leicester City star Hamza Choudhury to stop India in AFC Asian Cup qualifier

Bangladesh rope in Leicester City star Hamza Choudhury to stop India in AFC Asian Cup qualifier (AIFF Photo)

On the face of it, Bangladesh are currently placed 185th in the FIFA rankings. They are behind Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan even. Suddenly, though, there's a buzz around one of the worst football teams in the world, and no prizes for guessing why. A Premier League player turning up for a South Asian country - a footballing backwater - offers an extreme rarity. In that context, Hamza Choudhary's presence in the Bangladesh team is something really special.

Jamal Bhuyan, the Bangladesh captain, was asked to compare between Sunil Chhetri and Hamza at a press conference in the lead-up to the AFC Asian Cup qualifier game between India and Bangladesh in Shillong on March 25. His response was brilliant. “Let's be honest, Hamza is a Premier League player.”

The 27-year-old currently plays for Sheffield United, on loan from Leicester City. He qualifies to play for Bangladesh from his mother's side. Unlike India, which doesn't recognise dual nationality as per its citizenship laws, Bangladesh doesn't have restrictions. Jamal himself is an expat, who was brought up and played all his football in Denmark.

Hamza was born in Leicester and learnt his football at Leicester City academy where he joined at the age of seven. He represented England U-21s and won the FA Cup with his club in 2021. But the senior England call-up didn't come. So when, in August 2024 Hamza acquired his Bangladesh passport and subsequently got the FIFA's approval to represent the country, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) stepped in.

According to journalist Nayir Iqbal, who has followed Hamza’s career, Bangladeshi football fans' plea influenced the player's decision. “Bangladesh’s football fans heavily influenced Hamza's decision,” Iqbal was quoted as saying by ESPN. “They would often request him to play for the national team on social media. Hamza already had the family connection. His parents would bring him to Bangladesh, particularly to their ancestral home Habiganj, during his childhood.”

Bangladesh used to be a football country until the mid-1990s. Gradually it started to change and cricket took over. At the turn of the century, when Bangladesh earned Test status, cricket became the country’s No. 1 sport. Football slipped even further under the radar and the slide continued.

Football is grabbing the headlines and accounting for column-inches again, thanks to Hamza. Commercially also, his arrival has made an impact, with Bangladesh football getting new sponsors. As he is about to don the Bangladesh colours, his country is in a state of euphoria.