Faith & Football

Professional football is a game filled with highs and lows. For a growing number of young players, it’s their faith that sustains them in playing at the highest level.

"It was a gift from my Dad," said Bukayo Saka, holding up a Bible. "It's really special to me. I try to read it every night before I go to bed!

Saka is one of the Premier League's biggest stars. And, despite all his ability, skill and success, he makes the effort every night to read an ancient book, and take those words to heart to guide his life and career.

Saka is not the only Arsenal player to read the Bible regularly. In fact, he's part of a growing number of players at the club who trust the Bible to guide and inspire them so much that they have been nicknamed "The Bible Boys."

The likes of Gabriel Magalhães, Jurrien Timber, Noni Madueke and others have been known to read and study the Bible together. Timber has also shared on social media some of the passages that have spoken to him most. These include Mark 4:40, where Jesus asks His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Don't you have any faith at all yet?", and Mark 11:24, which begins with the words, "Have faith in God."

As well as reading the Bible, many of the players pray before their games, having a conversation with God before stepping onto the pitch. Timber has spoken about this, saying, "We pray before games with the team. It brings unity and understanding... It's a way of life, my faith."

Another Arsenal Star, Eberechi Eze, has spoken about how prayer has impacted him. He may now be playing for his childhood dream club, but for most of his life, that didn’t look like it would happen for Eze. Despite starting out as a child at Arsenal, he was released from the club at a young age. "The day I got released, my mum said a prayer." Now, 20 years later, he is playing for Arsenal. "For me," said Eze, “I can see God's hand in it." For those years, though, he found himself clinging to his trust in God and to his purpose there. "I've learnt from a young age to trust God's plan”, he said.

Lioness Michelle Agyemang has also found that trusting in God's plan has helped  her through times of doubt and disappointment. "Even though it seems difficult right now,” she said, "there is light at the end of the tunnel, and there is a greater plan.”

She spoke to The Times and shared about her faith, saying,"It's really helped me in terms of my confidence in God, knowing who I am and shaping my personality when I play football."

Agyemang was nominated for the Kopa Trophy in 2025, an award for the best young women's footballer. It was a close call, but Barcelona and Spain's Vicky Lopez won. She, too, is another player to find her purpose and sense of self in God. In her acceptance speech, she said, "I also really like talking to God and going to church. It's one of the places where I feel best.”

Man City’s Antoine Semenyo was baptised in the sea, publicly declaring his faith. He shares his faith with his teammates Marc Guéhi, Rico Lewis, and Jeremy Doku. Doku has also been baptised and shared about the experience on his YouTube channel. For him, faith is about knowing who he truly is as one loved and forgiven by God. "He's a before and after,” he said, "I've been pled as not guilty. I'm gonna live daily for him, sacrifice, pick up my cross, deny myself and put him first... my goal is that when he comes back, he tells me well done, good servant. And I can ride off with him in eternity." 

"I want [people] to see me as Jeremy the son of God... I'm going to live for him."

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