- The midfielder played several games for England at the under-21 level.
- Country fans have persistently encouraged him to make the switch.
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A Leicester City star has revealed his decision to switch his national allegiance away from England.
The announcement was made on the club’s official X account, with the player in question holding the flag of his new nation.
The midfielder was born in Loughborough and has been capped seven times by England at under-21 level.
However, he has not managed to find a place in the senior England team and, at 27 years old, has chosen to seek new horizons in his search for experience on the international stage.
This delights fans based in his new country, who have hounded the player on social media to make the move since he debuted at Leicester seven years ago.
His perseverance has paid off and now Hamza Choudhury will represent Bangladesh, his mother’s homeland.
Hamza Choudhury has been at Leicester City since 2005 and made his senior debut for the club in 2017.
Choudhury was a highly touted youth prospect and made several appearances for England at under-21 level.
“It’s something that’s been in the works for a couple of years,” Choudhury said. The Athletic.
“I represented England in the youth team but as my career progressed I realized it wasn’t an option for me.
“It’s something that I have definitely always had in mind: I would like to represent Bangladesh and, more importantly, the people of Bangladesh.
‘I have a very good connection with the fans in Bangladesh. I receive messages every day letting me know that they want me to come play.
“I also feel like it’s something I wanted to do to give Bangladesh more exposure on the football stage.”
Bangladesh are currently ranked 185th in the world by FIFA and most recently finished last in their 2026 World Cup qualifying group.
They will hope the injection of talent from the Premier League can lead to better things for the nation, with Choudhury determined to improve the country’s football infrastructure.
“It’s probably a bit wrong to think that cricket is definitely their main sport, although they are more successful at it,” he added. ‘But I think the main sport that everyone loves to watch and play is football.
Choudhury was a regular starter for Leicester in their championship-winning season last year.
Choudhury will look to make his mark on the international stage and propel Bangladesh into the FIFA world rankings.
“They just haven’t been fortunate enough or yet to have the infrastructure to develop and grow these players to get them into the European leagues, which can hopefully provide them with a springboard to get more players into the European leagues or into the bigger leagues.” important”.
‘I know they are absolutely crazy about football. I hope to open channels for more Bangladeshis to play in the top five leagues or in Europe, or just have a way to get into the top leagues and give them more exposure.
“I hope over time I can establish some kind of structure in the younger age groups and the younger local teams to be able to do that.
“The Bangladesh Federation has already been doing a lot of work, but if I can give them a different perspective, a European perspective, I hope that helps.”