Professional football christian athletes
Football (Soccer) is the most popular sport in the world, with an estimated billion fans across the globe.
As a result, players have huge platforms to show off their talent on the pitch but are also starting to have more influence off it.
Here are 10 football players who are using their powerful voices to share the good news of Jesus:
1. Bukayo Saka
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has talked openly about his faith on several occasions.
The year-old most recently shared what his Christian belief means to him when asked about it during a press conference with England.
He said: &#;I read my Bible every night.
“For me, it’s really important to have the presence of God in me all the time and it gives me more confidence to know that God’s plan is perfect, so I can go on the pitch and know that God has my back.
“But the main thing for me is just keeping my faith. You know just having faith in God so I don’t need to be nervous or worry about any outcomes because obviously it’s my first World Cup.
&#;You know I can start worrying about different things and different outcomes, but instead I just choose to put my faith in God.”
You can watch the press conference here:
2. Mykhailo Mudryk
Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk&#;s faith is revealed via his many tattoos.
As a follower of Jesus, the Ukranian&#;s ink creations point to his sovereign creator.
Arguably the Ukrainian’s most famous tattoo appears on his neck, simply stating ‘Only Jesus’:
On the other side of his neck, the year-old has two butterfly tattoos:
Even though the Bible doesn’t directly refer to butterflies, their life cycle can serve as a powerful analogy to illustrate how Jesus transforms the lives of believers.
On his chest, reads a tattoo that says: ‘Dear God, If today I lose my hope, please remind me that your plans are better than my dreams…’
A beautiful reminder that God has a plan for his people.
3. Alisson & Firmino
Former Liverpool teammates Alisson and Roberto Firmino share a very special friendship&#; they&#;re brothers in Christ.
In January , Alisson was present at Firmino&#;s baptism.
Afterwards, the goalkeeper shared a photo of the baptism and wrote:
“What God did for us on the night of 14/01/ we will never forget!! I’m still speechless to describe Jesus’ love!
&#;Very happy to have participated in a moment like this, the baptism of people I love so much! Thank you so much, Jesus, I love you!!!”
You can watch footage of the baptism below:
Firmino also posted a video of the baptism on Instagram, adding the note: &#;I gave you my failures and the victories I will give you too.
&#;My greatest title is Your Love, Jesus! &#;Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, new things have come!&#;
4. Cody Gakpo
Another Liverpool player, Cody Gakpo, is also living his life with God at the centre.
He told Dutch newspaper NRC in an interview: “Not only in my career, religion helps my whole life.
“It’s a lifestyle for me. I take the Bible with me everywhere and every day, in the UK or wherever else.
“If I can’t go to church, I call the pastor.
”Faith gives me peace. And strength when I need it. I often read the Bible before I go to sleep.&#;
5. Olivier Giroud
World Cup winner Olivier Giroud has always been very publicly outspoken about his faith in Christ.
A tattoo on the inside of his right arm reads: “dominus regit me et nihil mihi deerit”, which is Latin for “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”, a reference to Psalm
In , Giroud guest-edited the French Christian magazine &#;Jesus&#;. “I try to speak about my faith whenever I can, I feel I have to use my media profile to talk about my commitment to Jesus Christ”.
6. Christian Pulisic
American superstar Christian Pulisic recently revealed the impact that faith in Jesus has had in his life.
“Something that I’ve grown a lot closer with this past year is my belief in God, especially being alone over here,” Pulisic said in a GQ feature.
“I feel like I always have someone who’s with me. I don’t know how I would do any of this without that feeling that He’s watching over me and there’s a reason why I’m here.”
7. Kevin Prince Boateng
The now-retired Kevin Prince Boateng recently revealed the transformative power of Jesus in his life.
After posting pictures of his baptism on Instagram, Boateng said: &#;Revelation &#; And It’s up to US to open the Door or not. JESUS is The way, The truth, and The life🔥&#;.
The former party boy then revealed how his life had completely changed in an appearance on Rio Ferdinand&#;s podcast:
&#;Jesus is King. Seriously, for me, he changed my life.
&#;I grew up in a neighbourhood only with Muslims. I was never really religious or believing&#; but I got introduced to Jesus five years ago.
&#;This is where someone put the seed inside of me and then I got curious.
&#;I went to the Women&#;s World Cup and this is where it hit me. A person prayed for me and this is the first time I felt something and it was impossible to explain&#;.
&#;Then I had an encounter. You know how you have to leave your pride and all this sinning that we do&#; all the partying, drinking, or whatever.
&#;I left it all behind and I broke down. I went to my knees and prayed to the Lord. I was crying like crazy and this is when I had my encounter with Him.
&#;I heard His voice telling me &#;Come home&#;. It&#;s difficult to explain to someone. If you were to explain that to me two months ago, I would&#;ve said you were crazy.
&#;Then I got baptised. That day I had so much pain in my knee and then as soon as I got baptised I went for a jog, I could run.
&#;Like, it&#;s crazy. I don&#;t tell anyone you have to be Christian, but the love I received and the love I can give is just overwhelming&#;.
&#;Reading the bible, getting the word&#; it&#;s just unbelievable what&#;s happening in my life.&#;
You can watch the full podcast episode here:
8. Noni Madueke
Chelsea starlet Noni Madueke regularly posts about his faith on social media.
The young winger recently posted: &#;The Lord says, weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning!&#;, in reference to Pslam which speaks of trials in this life never being able to outweigh the happiness that God brings.
In another post, he said: &#;Lord I love you for never ever leaving me&#;.
9. Taiwo Awoniyi
The Nottingham Forest striker quite literally carries the cross with him on the pitch as shown on his shinpads, which have the numbers 3 and 16 underneath.
3 16 is of course in reference to John , which says:
&#;For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.&#;
In an interview with Ballers in God Awoniyi said: &#;A forgiving God is worth coming to&#; when all else fails invoke his mercy.&#;
Carney Chukwuemeka
The Chelsea midfielder has always been very vocal on social media about his love for God.
His Instagram bio says &#;% Jesus&#;, a clear indication of who the young talent is living his life for.
After a promising start to life at Chelsea, Chukwuemeka suffered an injury setback.
Shortly after receiving the bad news, he posted the below message, quoting 1 Thessalonians which says:
&#;Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.&#;
The accompanying caption said: &#;God I thank you for blessing me with my 1st goal for Chelsea.
&#;A moment I&#;ve prayed so hard for & dreamt of since I was a kid. I know your plans for me are greater than my own.
&#;Nobody can stop what you have already written for me this season.&#;
For more stories on Christian football stars, head over to our latest articles.