Bangladeshi-origin British footballer Hamza Choudhury has hit the headline once again as he becomes a Fifa ambassador to work as a role model for future generations, reports The Independent.
The 23-year old Leicester City and former England U-21 team midfielder, whose mother Rafia is a Bangladeshi, is one of the very few Asian origin players in the top level of football and Fifa, driven by EA sports, has started a campaign to highlight and improve this lacking.
The campaign will feature an advert showcasing Hamza and the Midnight Ramadan League: a grassroots team set up a way for those observing Ramadan to play football.
Matches kick-off after Iftar and before Suhoor and act as another way for the Muslim community to come together during this time of reflection and prayer.
Accompanying the advert, which debuts on Friday night, is a comic book by Hamza titled "Hamza: My story”.
The comic, in conjunction with Show Racism the Red Card and Premier League Primary Stars, charts his upbringing as a British Asian.
Posted by Plaantik on Friday, 23 April 2021
“Always be proud of who you are and where you come from”. This was a lesson taught to me growing up and has helped make me the person I am today. My journey hasn’t always been easy, but I’m forever thankful to my family for their undeniable support,” Hamza stated on occasion of launching the comic book by adding the flags of England, Bangladesh and Grenada, from where his father hailed.
Hamza always cherishes his memory in Habiganj, Bangladesh, where he used to play with local children.
The book depicts his fond memories of Bangladesh along with the peril of his journey.
The journey for Hamza in the top level, however, is just getting started.
He ticked off a first Leicester appearance in November 2017, his first Premier League minutes in April 2018, a first league goal in January 2020 and, earlier this season, became the first Bangladeshi to score in one of Uefa’s two major club competitions with his strike in a 2-1 win over AEK Athens in the Europa League.
