Hamza Choudhury

Hamza Choudhury
Hamza Dewan Choudhury (born 1 October 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for EFL Championship club Leicester City.
Choudhury is a product of Leicester City Academy, he joined the club at the age of seven. After gaining professional experience with two loan spells at Burton Albion, he has made over 80 senior appearances for Leicester since 2017. With Leicester, Choudhury won the FA Cup in 2021.
Choudhury has represented England at under-21 level.
Early life
Choudhury was born in Loughborough, Leicestershire.
Club career
Leicester City
Choudhury began his career at the Leicester City Academy, joining the club at the age of 7 in 2005. At the age of 16, Choudhury was reportedly monitored by a number of top European clubs.
Loan to Burton Albion
Choudhury joined League One leaders Burton Albion on a one-month loan deal on 27 February 2016. He made his debut in the Football League later that same day, coming on as a 77th-minute substitute for Tom Naylor in a 0–0 draw with Walsall at the Pirelli Stadium.
On 6 August 2016, Choudhury signed another loan deal with Burton Albion for the 2016–17 season. On the same day, Choudhury featured in Burton Albion's first ever Championship game, claiming an assist in a 4–3 defeat against Nottingham Forest.
First-team breakthrough
Choudhury made his first-team debut for Leicester City on 19 September 2017, coming on as substitute in a 2–0 win against Liverpool at home in the third round of the EFL Cup. He made his Premier League debut on 28 November as a substitute at home in a 2–1 win against Tottenham Hotspur. His first Premier League start came on 14 April 2018, in a 2–1 away defeat to Burnley.
On 30 August 2019, Choudhury signed a new four-year contract with Leicester.On 1 January 2020, Choudhury scored his first senior goal for Leicester, an outside the box strike in the 86th minute, in a 3–0 away win at Newcastle United.
On 22 October 2020, Choudhury made his first appearance in a European competition, coming off the bench in the 71st minute against Zorya Luhansk. He became the first footballer of Bangladeshi descent to make an appearance in a European competition by doing so. One week later, Choudhury scored a 39th-minute volley against AEK Athens, winning the match 2–1. He became the first footballer of Bangladeshi descent to score in one of the two major UEFA club competitions, the first British Asian to score in European competitions since Michael Chopra in the defunct UEFA Intertoto Cup, and the first British Asian to score in the current UEFA competitions.
On 11 April 2021, Choudhury was one of three players dropped from Leicester's squad for the game against West Ham United after breaching COVID-19 protocols. On 15 May 2021, he came on as an 82nd-minute substitute in the 2021 FA Cup Final, which Leicester won 1–0 for his first career honour. He and teammate Wesley Fofana both celebrated draped in the flag of Palestine, during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis.
Loan to Watford
On 10 August 2022, Choudhury joined Championship club Watford on loan for the season, with the option to make the move permanent the following summer. He made his debut two days later in a 1–0 home win over Burnley, and was praised by manager Rob Edwards.
International career
On 26 May 2018, Choudhury made his debut for the England national under-21 football team, coming on as a substitute during the 2–1 win against China under-21 in the 2018 Toulon Tournament. Choudhury started for England in the next match of the tournament, a 0–0 draw against Mexico.
On 27 May 2019, Choudhury was included in England's 23-man squad for the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship but was shown a straight red card for a reckless tackle during the second half of the opening 2–1 defeat to France in Cesena.
Although eligible to play for Bangladesh and Grenada, Choudhury said in October 2019 that he intended to pursue an international career with England, stating: "To play for England is my biggest dream, to represent the senior team".
Personal life
Choudhury is of Bangladeshi-Grenadian ancestry. He was raised in a traditional Bengali Muslim household by his mother and stepfather and has visited Bangladesh since he was a child. His maternal ancestral home is in Bahubal, Habiganj District in Bangladesh. His stepfather is also Bengali. Choudhury can speak Bengali with a good degree of fluency. He is eligible to play for the Grenada national team through his biological father.
Choudhury is a Sunni Muslim, and attended evening madrasa during his youth. He has stated that before leaving the changing room for a match, he recites parts of the Qur'an in Arabic such as the Verse of the Throne and various duas.
In April 2019 he apologised for historical offensive tweets. He was later charged with misconduct by the FA, and fined £5,000 and put on an educational course.
He and his wife have three children born in 2018, 2020, and 2023.
In October 2023, Choudhury used the phrase "From the river to the sea" on Twitter, a phrase interpreted as supportive of Palestinian nationalism. The Football Association later wrote to clubs to advise their players not to use the phrase on social media
Career statistics
Honours
Leicester City
FA Cup: 2020–21
FA Community Shield: 2021
England U21
Toulon Tournament: 2018
See also
British Asians in association football
References
External links
Hamza Choudhury at the Leicester City F.C. website
1997 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Loughborough
Footballers from Leicestershire
English men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Leicester City F.C. players
Burton Albion F.C. players
Watford F.C. players
English Football League players
Premier League players
England men's under-21 international footballers
Black British sportsmen
English Muslims
British Asian footballers
English people of Bangladeshi descent
English sportspeople of Grenadian descent
21st-century Bengalis
21st-century Muslims
Palestinian nationalists