Hamza Dewan Choudhury (; born 1 October 1997) is a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

for

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...

club

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

. Born in England, he plays for the Bangladesh national team. 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 Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club moved its home g ...

, he has made over 100 senior appearances for Leicester since 2017. With Leicester, Choudhury won the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

. Choudhury has represented England at under-21 level and, after receiving his Bangladeshi passport in late 2024, made the decision to play for the Bangladesh national team.

Early life

Choudhury was born in

Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood (borough), Charnwood Borough of Leicestershire, England; it is the administrative centre of Charnwood Borough Council. At the United Kingdom 2021 census, the town's built-up area had a popula ...

, Leicestershire to a Grenadian father and

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...

mother. Choudhury was raised in a traditional Bangladeshi Muslim household by his mother and stepfather and has visited Bangladesh since he was a child. His maternal ancestral home is in

Bahubal Bahubal (), is an upazila of Habiganj District in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh. History Bahubal was a part of the Tungachhal and Rajpur kingdoms. The last Raja of Tungachhal, Achak Narayan, was defeated in 1303 during the Conquest of Taraf by Sye ...

Habiganj District Habiganj District (; ), formerly known as Habibganj District (), is a district in north-eastern Bangladesh, located in the Sylhet Division. It was established as a district in 1984 as a successor to its ''subdivision'' status since 1867. It is na ...

in Bangladesh.

Club career

Early career

Choudhury began his career at the

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, 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 League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...

leaders

on a one-month

loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

deal on 27 February 2016. He made his debut in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

later that same day, coming on as a 77th-minute substitute for

Tom Naylor Tom Naylor (born 28 June 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as either a defensive midfielder or a centre-back for club Chesterfield. He has previously played in the EFL Championship for Wigan Athletic, Burton Albion and Der ...

in a 0–0 draw with

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...

at the

Pirelli Stadium Pirelli Stadium is an association football stadium on Princess Way in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was built in 2005 and is the current home of Burton Albion FC, replacing the club's old Eton Park home, also on Princess Way, ...

. On 6 August 2016, Choudhury signed another loan deal with

for the 2016–17 season. On the same day, Choudhury featured in Burton Albion's first ever

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

game, claiming an assist in a 4–3 defeat against

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...

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 Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

at home in the third round of the

EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

. He made his

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

debut on 28 November as a substitute at home in a 2–1 win against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

. His first Premier League start came on 14 April 2018, in a 2–1 away defeat to

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

. 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 Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

. On 22 October 2020, Choudhury made his first appearance in a European competition, coming off the bench in the 71st minute against

Zorya Luhansk FC Zorya Luhansk ( ) is a Ukrainian football team. Zorya Luhansk was based in the city of Luhansk, Ukraine. However, due to the Russo-Ukrainian War, the team currently plays its games at Slavutych-Arena in Zaporizhzhia. The modern club as a ...

. 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 A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens. Establishe ...

, winning the match 2–1. He became the first footballer of Bangladeshi descent to score in one of the two major

UEFA club competitions UEFA club competitions, referred improperly by the mass media as European football, are the set of club tournaments organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), generally in professional and amateur association football and fu ...

, the first British Asian to score in European competitions since

Michael Chopra Rocky Michael Chopra (born 23 December 1983) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. A product of the Newcastle United youth system, he spent six years at the club without managing to secure a regular first team ...

in the defunct

UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...

, and the first British Asian to score in the current

UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...

competitions. On 11 April 2021, Choudhury was one of three players dropped from Leicester's squad for the game against

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

after breaching

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

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.

Loans to Watford

On 10 August 2022, Choudhury joined Championship club

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

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

, and was praised by manager Rob Edwards.

Loan to Sheffield United

Choudhury joined Championship club

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...

on 27 January 2025 on loan until the end of the 2024–25 season. He appeared in 16 matches before coming back to Leicester City F.C. as the loan expired on 29 June 2025.

International career

England

On 26 May 2018, Choudhury made his debut for the

England national under-21 football team The England national under-21 football team, also known as England under-21s or England U21(s), is the national under-21 association football team of England, under the control of the Football Association. It is considered to be the feeder team ...

, coming on as a substitute during the 2–1 win against China under-21 in the

2018 Toulon Tournament The 2018 Toulon Tournament (officially ) was the 46th edition of the Toulon Tournament. It was held in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône from 26 May to 9 June 2018. England won the tournament for the third successive year beating Mexico 2–1 i ...

. 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 The 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-21 Euro 2019) was the 22nd edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (25th edition if the Under-23 era is also included), the biennial international youth association ...

but was shown a straight red card for a reckless tackle during the second half of the opening 2–1 defeat to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Cesena Cesena (; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy; and - with Forlì - is the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena. Served by Autostrada A14 (Italy), Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine M ...

Bangladesh

While eligible to represent

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and

Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

, Choudhury expressed in October 2019 that his goal was to play for England, saying, "To play for England is my biggest dream, to represent the senior team." However, on 27 February 2024, reports confirmed he was in talks to join the Bangladesh national team for their 2026 World Cup qualifiers in March 2024. Choudhury obtained his Bangladeshi passport on 23 August 2024, and on 24 September 2024, the

English Football Association The Football Association (the FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world and is responsibl ...

issued him a No Objection Certificate (NOC), allowing him to officially represent Bangladesh. He officially switched allegiance to Bangladesh on 19 December 2024. On 9 February 2025, Hamza was included in the preliminary squad for Bangladesh's 2027 AFC Asian Cup third round qualifier match against

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. On 25 March, he made his debut for Bangladesh in a 0–0 draw against India. On 4 June 2025, Choudhury scored his first international goal in a 2–0 friendly win over

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

Personal life

Choudhury can speak Sylheti with a good degree of fluency. Choudhury is a

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...

, and attended evening ''

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

'' during his youth. He has stated that before leaving the changing room for a match, he recites parts of the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

such as the

Throne Verse The Throne Verse () is the 255th verse of the second chapter of the Quran, al-Baqara 2:255. In this verse, God introduces Himself to mankind and says nothing and nobody is comparable to God. Considered the greatest and one of the most well-kno ...

and various ''

dua In Islam, ( , plural: ' ) is a prayer of invocation, supplication or request, asking help or assistance from God. Duʿāʾ is an integral aspect of Islamic worship and spirituality, serving as a direct line of communication betwe ...

s''. In April 2019, Choudhury apologised for his historical tweets about race and suicide. He was later charged with misconduct by the FA, and fined £5,000 and put on an educational course. Choudhury and his wife have three children born in 2018, 2020, and 2023. On 19 January 2024, Choudhury was caught

drink driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is in ...

on the wrong side of the road in

West Bridgford West Bridgford () is a town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Rushcliffe, in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. It lies south of Nottingham city centre, east of Wilford, north of Ruddington and west of Radcliffe-on-Trent ...

after leaving his phone behind in a restaurant. He was given a driving ban and was fined £20,000 by Nottingham Magistrates' Court. After winning in the 2021 FA Cup final, Choudhury and his teammate Wesley Fofana both celebrated draped in the

flag of Palestine The flag of the State of Palestine () is a Triband (flag)#Tricolour, tricolour of three equal horizontal stripes—black, white, and green from top to bottom—overlaid by a red triangle issuing from the Hoist (flag), hoist. It displays the Pa ...

, during the

2021 Israel–Palestine crisis The 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, sometimes called the Unity Intifada, was a major outbreak of violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict that mainly commenced on 10 May 2021, and continued until a ceasefire came into effect on 21 May. I ...

. In October 2023, Choudhury used the phrase "

from the river to the sea "From the river to the sea" (; ) is a political slogan that refers to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea – an area historically known as Palestine, which was formerly British Mandatory Palestine, and which today con ...

" on X in the wake of the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

The Football Association The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...

later wrote to clubs to ask their players not to use the phrase on social media.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Leicester City *

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is Football in England, English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA ...

: 2023–24 Burton Albion F.C. *

EFL League One The English Football League One, known as Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons, or simply League One, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League One is the second-highest division of the English Football League an ...

runner up: 2015–16 England U21 *

Toulon Tournament The Maurice Revello Tournament (officially French: the ''Festival International "Espoirs" – Tournoi Maurice Revello''), previously known as the Toulon Tournament, is a Association football, football tournament, which traditionally features invit ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

References

External links

*
Profile
at the Leicester City F.C. website * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Choudhury, Hamza 1997 births Living people Footballers from Loughborough Bangladeshi men's footballers Bangladesh men's international footballers English men's footballers England men's under-21 international footballers Men's association football midfielders Leicester City F.C. players Burton Albion F.C. players Watford F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players English Football League players Premier League players Black British sportsmen 21st-century Black British people English Muslims Bangladeshi Muslims British Asian footballers English people of Bangladeshi descent English people of Grenadian descent Bangladeshi people of English descent Bangladeshi people of Grenadian descent Sportspeople of Grenadian descent 21st-century Bengalis 21st-century Muslims 21st-century English sportsmen