England Under 21 star switches his international allegiance… to a nation ranked 185th in the world!
- The midfielder has played several games for England at Under-21 level
- He is constantly encouraged by the country’s fans to make the move
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A Leicester City star has revealed his decision to shift his national allegiance away from England.
The announcement was made on the club’s official X account, with the player in question holding up the flag of his new country.
The midfielder was born in Loughborough and was capped seven times by England at Under-21 level.
However, he has been unable to break into the England senior team and, at the age of 27, has opted to seek new pastures in his quest for experience on the international stage.
This has come to the delight of fans living in his new country, who have been harassing the player on social media to make the change since he made his Leicester debut seven years ago.
Their persistence paid off and now Hamza Choudhury will represent Bangladesh, his mother’s homeland.
Hamza Choudhury has switched his international allegiance from England to Bangladesh
Choudhury was a highly touted youth prospect and made a handful of appearances for England at Under-21 level
“It’s something that’s been in the works for a few years,” Choudhury said The Athletics.
‘I represented England in the youth team but as my career progressed that became not an option for me.
‘It’s something I’ve always had in the back of my mind: I want to represent Bangladesh – and, more importantly, the people of Bangladesh.
‘I have a very good relationship with the fans in Bangladesh. I get messages every day saying they want me to come play.
“I also feel like it’s something I wanted to do to help raise Bangladesh’s profile on the football stage.”
Bangladesh are currently ranked 185th in the world by FIFA and recently finished bottom of the 2026 World Cup qualifying group.
They hope the injection of Premier League talent can lead to better things for the country, with Choudhury looking to improve the country’s football infrastructure.
“It’s probably a misconception that cricket is definitely their main sport, even though they are the most successful at it,” he added. ‘But I think football is the most important sport that everyone likes to watch and play.
The player was a regular starter for Leicester in their Championship season last year
The 27-year-old will look to make his mark on the international stage and propel Bangladesh up the FIFA world rankings
‘They just haven’t really been lucky enough or have the infrastructure yet to develop and grow these players to reach European competitions, which can hopefully be a springboard for them to get more players into European competitions or the have top competitions.
‘I know they absolutely love football. I hope I can open channels for more Bangladeshis to play in the top five leagues or in Europe, or just find a way to get into the bigger leagues and give them a bit more exposure.
‘Hopefully in time I can put some kind of structure in the younger age groups and the younger local teams to be able to do that.
“The Federation of Bangladesh has already done a lot of work, but if I can give them a different kind of perspective, a European vision, I hope that will help.”