After playing a match for Sheffield United, Hamza Choudhury boarded a flight to Bangladesh on Sunday night. Upon arriving in Sylhet with his family on Monday afternoon, he was warmly welcomed by football fans. He then traveled to his hometown, the Chowdhury House in Snaanghat, Bahubal, Habiganj district.
At Hamza’s house, there was no space to spare, as crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of the English Premier League star. During this time, the defensive midfielder spoke to journalists once again. In response to a reporter’s question, Hamza revealed that he would like to wear the number 8 jersey while playing for Bangladesh. Currently, he wears the number 24 jersey at Sheffield. Before joining the club on loan in January, he played for Leicester City, wearing the numbers 20 and 38.
The number 8 jersey is currently worn by Chandan Roy in the Bangladesh national football team. Other past players to have worn the number 8 jersey include Mamunul Islam, Enamul Haque, and Sad Uddin.
On March 25, Bangladesh will face India in a crucial AFC Asian Cup qualifier match in Shillong. This will be Hamza’s debut wearing the red-and-green jersey. He is expected to return to Dhaka from Sylhet on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, after completing a conditioning camp in Saudi Arabia with 29 players, Rakib and Tapura will return home tomorrow. On March 19, after a practice session, the final 23-player squad will depart for Shillong under the guidance of head coach Javier Cabrera.