Hamza Choudhury

Hamza Dewan Choudhury (born 1 October 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Leicester City. He has made over 70 appearances for Leicester since 2017, and won the FA Cup in 2021. He has represented England at under-21 level.
Club career.
Choudhury began his career at the Leicester City Academy, and at the age of 16 was reportedly monitored by a number of top European clubs. He 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.
On 19 September 2017, Choudhury debuted for Leicester City coming on as substitute in the 82nd minute of an EFL Cup 3rd round home win against Liverpool. On 28 November 2017, Choudhury made his Premier League debut for Leicester coming on as substitute in the 83rd minute of a home 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. On 29 October, 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 celebrated draped in the flag of Palestine, during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis.
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, and has visited Bangladesh since he was a child. His mother and step-father are both Bengalis, and his ancestral home is the Dewan Bari in Snanghat Union, Bahubal, Habiganj District in Bangladesh. He has fluency in the Bengali language (Sylheti), and also recites the Quran. He is eligible to play for the Grenada national team through his biological father.
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 partner had a child in 2018.
Honours.
Leicester City
England U21