Earlier on June 22, he talked to Bangladeshi Newspaper Prothom Alo, where he said, “No matter how busy I am with matches, I always follow what’s going on in Bangladesh.”

His Bangla has a strong Sylheti undertone. But he is fluent enough in Bangla as his parents speak the language at home. He was born and brought up in England, but keeps updated about Bangladesh. His family is originally from Habiganj.

For part of the school holidays the Choudhurys would visit his mother’s family in Bangladesh. The trips would leave a lasting impression on the midfielder, who is fluent in Bengali. The sight of this young boy with an afro, however, would cause a minor ripple in his family’s Sylhet village.

“A few of my childhood memories are of Bangladesh. Being there, just being able to do what you want,” he says.

“You see kids walking around at 10 o’clock at night, not a care in the world… freedom and completely safe.

“People were definitely surprised that I could speak Bengali. I had a little afro when I was a kid, so all the kids used to find me quite interesting and run around after me. We used to go there every other year while we were growing up for two to three weeks – it was nice. Very special.

“It’s my heritage and my culture, so it’s nice. It’s really nice going back. I think it also humbles you as a kid and it shows you different parts of the world because when you grow up in England you can live in a bit of a bubble.

“To go there opens your eyes to see what kinds of struggles people actually go through, so it is humbling.”