Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury was cleared to represent Bangladesh by FIFA on Thursday, the 27-year-old confirmed on his social media handle. 

Hamza had expressed his desire to play for Bangladesh in an interview with a Bangla newspaper earlier this year after which the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) got in touch with the Leicester City midfielder and got the ball rolling to rope him in through discussions with the player, his family members and his agent.

BFF officially started the process this year. In June, the 26-year-old applied for a Bangladeshi passport and received it in mid-August.

The BFF then sought a NOC from the England Football Association in September for Hamza who represented England in an age-level international tournament.

The English FA gave the go-ahead to the BFF in late September after which the BFF applied to the FIFA players' status committee for final approval to enlist Hamza as a Bangladesh player.

The FIFA Players' Status Committee kept Bangladesh waiting after asking the BFF for further documents in October. The BFF sought help from Hamza, his family and agent to get the required documents.

"I've been waiting for more than 1.5 years for this news to come. He will definitely be a great addition and a big boost for the team. I'm very happy for him and Bangladesh, I think he himself is feeling honoured and even more proud to represent Bangladesh now," national team captain Jamal Bhuyan told The Daily Star on Thursday.

"All the players and the whole nation have been waiting for him and it has officially been cleared today.  It is very positive for us and an advantage for the national team as well as the nation," national team defender Tapu Barman told The Daily Star on Thursday.