A few years ago, the thought of seeing English Premier League midfielder Hamza Choudhury don the Bangladesh national football team jersey seemed like a distant dream. However, that is no longer the case as the Sheffield United star touched down in Bangladesh yesterday to represent the red and green in the Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Bangladesh are set to kick off their campaign against hosts India in Shillong on March 25, and Hamza is poised to make his much-anticipated debut.

The 27-year-old, along with his family members, reached his ancestral village -- Snanghat of Bahubal upazila, Habiganj -- yesterday afternoon after landing at Sylhet Osmani International Airport amid huge enthusiasm among football fans and its stakeholders. Officials from Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), Sylhet DSA, Civil Aviation, and people of Sylhet greeted Hamza with flowers.

For Hamza, this was not just another quiet visit to his ancestral home. Now, with his heart set on representing Bangladesh, his return carried an added sense of purpose.

Hamza, who once played for the England U-21 team, was overwhelmed upon his arrival as many enthusiastic media personnel, YouTubers, and others gathered to welcome him.

"It feels incredible. My heart is pumped," he told the media in front of Sylhet Osmani International Airport, his words barely audible over the deafening chants of his name.

The energy was electric, but with so many eager faces around him, Hamza could only answer a handful of questions. Yet, in those brief moments, his determination and optimism shone through.

"Inshallah, we will win. I've spoken with coach Javier [Cabrera] about many things. Inshallah, we will win and progress," Hamza said in his Sylheti dialect.

As the sun set, the celebrations continued in Snanghat, where hundreds more gathered to welcome him at his ancestral village. In a short but heartfelt address, he looked out at the sea of faces and simply said, "You all have come here to see me; Bangladesh Zindabad."

Hamza will spend some time in his village today before heading to Dhaka at night to join the national team camp at the InterContinental Hotel. There, he will meet his new teammates on Wednesday morning, take part in an official photoshoot, meet the press, and interact with captains and coaches from the proposed English-medium school football tournament before getting some much-needed rest.

As Bangladesh's Spanish head coach, Javier Cabrera, mulls over training plans for Wednesday -- whether indoors or outdoors -- one thing is certain: the team will board their flight to India on Thursday morning with renewed energy and belief.