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Zidane Iqbal made headlines when he became the first British Muslim South Asian footballer to play for Manchester United, but where else in the Premier League can Asian players be found?
Zidane Iqbal
After making his first-team debut for United against Young Boys in the Champions League, Iqbal wrote on Instagram, “Alhamdulillah always and forever.”
Since Michael Chopra’s appearance for Newcastle United in 2002, he became the first British player of Asian ancestry to play in the Champions League for an English club in 19 years.
The gifted 18-year-old, who is of Pakistani and Iraqi descent, has spent more than a decade in United’s youth system and is a regular for the U23 team.
The youngster, who makes dua when he scores, said his role model is former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil. “He’s Muslim like me as well. Seeing another Muslim footballer is a good thing,” said Iqbal in a recent video FA video during South Asian Heritage Month.
Hamza Choudhury
When Leicester City defeated Chelsea in the FA Cup final in 2021, Hamza Choudhury became the first British South Asian footballer to receive an FA Cup winner’s medal.
In November 2017, the 25-year-old made his Premier League debut, becoming the league’s first player of Bangladeshi descent. He’s appeared in nearly 50 games for the Foxes, scoring one goal.
Choudhury, who is of Bangladeshi-Grenadian ancestry, was raised in a traditional Bengali Muslim household and is not afraid to advocate for Muslim causes.
He was praised for showing solidarity for the Palestinian cause during the FA Cup final earlier this year after taking part in a campaign to support the Midnight Ramadan League.
Islam is central to Choudhury’s life. “Me and my little sister used to go and learn after school on a Tuesday and Thursday, learning to read the Quran,” he told the BBC in an interview in 2019.
“You feel like it’s taking up your time as a child. But I’m so glad that my parents put me through it because otherwise you’re not educated in something essential. “
He added: “I recite the Ayat Al-Kursi before I come out of the changing room and other little duas my mom told me to do.”
Other Asian players in the Premier League
In the United Kingdom, there are approximately 3 million people of South Asian ancestry or one in every 20 people. In the Premier League, however, only five players have full-time professional contracts.
Apart from Iqbal and Choudhury, the other players are Arjan Raikhy of Aston Villa, Dilan Markanday of Tottenham Hotspur, and Kam Kandola of Wolves.
Chopra and Zesh Rahman, who played for Fulham from 2003 to 2006, are the only other Asian players to have appeared in the Premier League’s 29-year history.
Anwar Uddin was a West Ham player from 2000 to 2001, but he never made an appearance for the first team.
