- Friday, April 19, 2024
By: Admin Super
Whilst there may not be as many Asian footballers playing in England as some people would like, there are still a few making an impact in the country.
Quite why British Asians are generally underrepresented in professional football remains something of a mystery and it will hopefully be rectified in the coming years. And, the next generation looking for role models to take inspiration from will have noted the success of Hamza Choudhury at Leicester City.
He is currently one of only four British players with South Asian descent to have played in the Premier League, which includes people from Pakistani, Indian or a Bangladeshi background. The others are Michael Chopra, formerly of Newcastle United, Zesh Rehman who played for Fulham and Neil Taylor, the left-back who currently features for Aston Villa.
Whilst the likes of Yan Dhanda and Danny Batth are doing well in the Championship, it’s remarkable that there are only two British Asians in the top-flight right now and Taylor’s time at the top level will be coming to an end in the coming years given his age.
Hamza Choudhury misplaced just one pass against Arsenal:
• 47 passes attempted
• 46 passes completedMore than just an afro. 馃檭 pic.twitter.com/1NUjj4OIfN
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) April 28, 2019
So, many will see 22-year-old Choudhury as someone who can act as a role model for the next generation coming through.
Already noted for his tough-tackling and energy in the middle of the park, Choudhury clearly has ability as he regularly plays for a Foxes side that finished 5th in the Premier League and qualified for Europe, whilst he also has represented England at U-21 level. It’s an exciting time to be involved with Leicester City and those sports fans who check the betting odds regularly may back them to finish in the top six once again as they are currently priced at 5/2.
Choudhury is at the right club to develop the undoubted talent he has and the midfielder is sure to have huge support from people in different communities who see him as an example of where you can go in the game if you apply your ability properly.
BR on Hamza Choudhury’s contract: “He’s a very talented young player who has come through the system here. He knows everything about the Club, he’s got a lot of work to do, but I’m delighted.”#Hamza2023 pic.twitter.com/xhQG7u0hD6
— Leicester City (@LCFC) August 30, 2019
That isn’t to put extra pressure on the youngster, and it’s something that he may not even think about, but by just competing against the very best on a weekly basis is proof that British Asians are capable.
As the world looks to break down barriers in various forms of life, key figures will need to emerge and Choudhury could become that person in football. The statistics show that British Asians participate and want to be involved in the game as much as everyone else but for whatever reason they aren’t breaking through.
However, the Leicester City man has shown it’s possible and if he establishes himself as a Premier League player for the next decade or so, he will be opening the door for other players from an Asian background to follow suit.
