Bangladesh national football team captain Jamal Bhuyan said today (March 19) that Hamza Choudhury’s arrival feels like Bangladesh’s own Messi is coming.
Jamal was the first expat player to don the green and red jersey making his debut in 2013. His arrival sparked a lot of hype, as has Hamza’s arrival in recent days.
“Of course, it was kind of the same environment when I came and now Hamza is a Premier League player, coming to the team as it is, it's like our Messi is coming, So, that's how I feel about it and how he fits into the team, I think he fits perfectly,” Jamal said in a conference on the day.
“Everybody has welcomed him, everybody is super respectful to Hamza and they know what he can bring to the team and they know what he's going to give us, So Hamza for us is super,” he added.
Jamal said Hamza will have goosebumps when he listens to the national anthem on March 25 against India.
“I think on the 25th, when Hamza will hear the national anthem, I think he is going to get good goosebumps because I felt the same thing and hopefully Hamza will get the same feeling.”
Jamal was asked to compare Hamza and India’s Sunil Chhetri who came out of retirement to play against Bangladesh. But Jamal dismissed that comparison simply by stating that Hamza is a Premier League player, there should be no comparison.
“No, I don't think you can compare Sunil to Hamza, Sunil is a very good player, he has done a tremendous job for his country but let's be honest, Hamza is the Premier League player,” Jamal said.
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
