Who is the hair-raising new hero of Leicester’s Christmas revival?
HE’S the talented midfielder with the big afro hair who has made his mark in the Premier League over Christmas and has had fans asking why Leicester have been keeping him under wraps for so long. It was expected that academy graduate Hamza Choudhury would move out on loan in the January transfer window, but with Claude Puel staring down a barrel, he turned to the 21-year-old in games against Chelsea and Manchester City. Leicester won both, and a rising star was revealed...
WHAT’S HIS BACKGROUND?
A Leicester fan, born in Loughborough, his mother is Bangladeshi and his father from Grenada. He joined Leicester’s academy aged seven and became the first player of Bangladeshi descent to play in the Premier League when making his debut last November as a sub in a 2-1 win over Tottenham. Before that he enjoyed two loan spells at Burton Albion, helping them to promotion from League One in 2016. Choudhury is seen as a pioneer for players of Asian background, but said: ‘I don’t really feel any pressure about being a professional from an Asian background. ‘My family have been a great help with that, just telling me to enjoy it. If I said tomorrow I didn’t want to play football any more they would support me.’ Choudhury’s girlfriend Olivia, an aspiring interior designer, posted a photo on Twitter of their daughter. She captioned the photo on Christmas Day: ‘Merry Christmas from our new family of 3.’
WHY’S HE SUDDENLY IN THE SIDE?
His start at Stamford Bridge on Saturday was his first league appearance of the season. Puel switched to a five-man midfield, with Choudhury in the centre. He started in the League Cup loss to Manchester City on December 18, after which Puel said: ‘I don’t know his future or whether he will remain with us or we put him on loan, but it was important to give him confidence. He played a strong game and showed his quality at a high level.’ He kept his place at Chelsea and then again for the league clash with City on St Stephen’s Day, where again he starred in the comeback 2-1 victory. He has four caps for England’s Under 21 team and will be on Gareth Southgate’s radar.
WHAT’S HIS CONTRACT SITUATION?
Last month Leicester tied him down to a new deal which runs until 2022, and he said: ‘To sign a new deal here and stay here for hopefully many years to come is incredible. When I joined, it was clear it was a family club, I think that’s why me and my family chose Leicester.’ Before he signed a professional deal at 16 there were reports of Barcelona and Real Madrid monitoring his situation, especially given his early elevation to the England Under 18 set-up.
WHAT’S HIS STYLE OF PLAY?
He has everything a midfield player needs — good engine, range of passing and aggression. He broke up play well
against Chelsea and was seen popping up in the box against City.
AND WHAT ABOUT THE HAIR?
Choudhury has an afro to rival Marouane Fellaini’s previous effort. ‘I get a lot of banter from opposition fans but you take it with a pinch of salt,’ he told the ‘I guess I am just used to it now. I can’t imagine having my hair any other way.’ Leicester Mercury.