Bangladesh’s first and only English Premier League-playing footballer Hamza Dewan Choudhury left the country for Manchester Thursday noon by a Bangladesh Biman flight, to join his club Sheffield United.
He left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka for Sylhet at 9:45am and from there he again flew for Manchester at 11:45am by the same flight.
On the eve of his departure, Hamza Choudhury thanked the soccer crazy Bangladeshi fans for their warm reception and said he will come again Bangladesh to play their AFC Asian Cup qualifiers home match against Singapore on June 10.
Hamza arrived in Sylhet on March 17 amid huge enthusiasm among the soccer loving fans to play for Bangladesh national football team in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers against India in Shillong on March 25 and spent 10 days in Bangladesh and India with celebrating mood.
After reaching the Sylhet Airport on March 17 at noon, Hamza directly moved to his village home in Shnangath under the Bahubal Upazilla of Habiganj on the same day.
On the following day (March 18), Hamza left Habiganj for Dhaka to join the national team’s camp, he addressed the Bangladesh team’s official press on March 19 at a local hotel alongside head coach Javier Cabrera and captain Jamal Bhuyan before flying for Indian hill city on Shillong on March 20.
Hamza was the main inspiration and engine of the Bangladesh team in their first and away Group C match of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers against India last Tuesday which ended in a goalless draw after spoiling four to five good chances.
In the match, Hamza also guarded properly Indian celebrated footballer Sunil Chhetri, who returned back to the Indian national team from retirement to play against Bangladesh and made him inactive all through the match as result Sunil Chhetri was replaced in the 81st minute of the match.
