Hamza Choudhury made his debut for Bangladesh in March last year, and within a short time, the Leicester City midfielder has completed one year in the red and green jersey. Reflecting on his journey, the 28-year-old described representing Bangladesh as “the best decision” of his life.
In an interview with ESPN, Hamza shared his thoughts on the past year, saying, “It’s been amazing. Honestly, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
Although he expressed disappointment at failing to qualify for the Asian Cup, he remains optimistic. “Of course, it’s frustrating not to qualify. But these tough lessons will make us stronger. Everyone is disappointed, but when we review our performances, we’ll realize how much we’ve improved as a team,” he said.
Since his debut, Hamza has played in 9 out of Bangladesh’s last 10 matches, missing only one due to injury. He completed the full 90 minutes in every appearance and scored four goals as a defensive midfielder.
While he has yet to bring major success to the team, Bangladesh showed progress by avoiding a bottom-place finish in the Asian Cup qualifiers for the first time since 2000. The team also secured a memorable victory over India after 22 years.
Hamza added, “This is a big step for us. Over the past year, we’ve come a long way as a team. The way we performed away against a qualified team like Singapore is something to be proud of, and it will help us in future campaigns.”
In their final Asian Cup qualifying match against Singapore last Tuesday, around 6,000 Bangladeshi fans filled the stands. Praising their support, Hamza said, “They are incredible. I think they are the best fans in the world. Even though we didn’t qualify and it was more of a celebration for Singapore, they spent their hard-earned money to support us in such numbers. We can never repay that.”
Looking ahead, Hamza has set his sights on the upcoming SAFF Championship. “We may play a few friendlies in the summer, and then the SAFF Championship is in September. We’re aiming to win the title. Our recent performances have created that expectation. Thereafter, our focus will shift to the 2027 campaign. Inshallah, next time we will qualify for the Asian Cup,” he concluded.
