"It's something that's been in the works for a couple of years."
Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury has changed his international allegiance to Bangladesh.
Born in Loughborough, Choudhury played seven times for England’s U21 side but will now represent his mother’s homeland.
At 27, Choudhury admitted that playing for the Three Lions is “no longer an option” for him.
It is a historic moment as he will become the first Premier League player to represent the Bengal Tigers, who are ranked 185th side in the world by FIFA.
And he will become the only player who doesn’t currently play in the Bangladesh Premier League.
The Bangladesh Football Federation confirmed:
“We are pleased to inform that Hamza Dewan Choudhury has been cleared to play for Bangladesh.
“This decision was made by the Player’s Status Chamber of the Football Tribunal of FIFA.”
Bangladesh will face India in Asian Cup qualification in March 2025 and Choudhury is in line to make his debut.
Hamza Choudhury told The Athletic: “It’s something that’s been in the works for a couple of years.
“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.
“I also feel like it’s something that I wanted to do to have some more exposure for Bangladesh on the footballing stage.”
Choudhury also wants to improve the national setup’s infrastructure 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.”
Hamza Choudhury made his Leicester City debut in 2017 and apart from a one-season long spell with Watford, he has played for the Foxes ever since.
He will follow in the footsteps of other English-born players who represent foreign countries.
Aston Villa’s Matty Cash made his debut for Poland in 2021 while West Ham striker Michail Antonio plays for Jamaica.
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