Several players from the leading Champions and Premier League team openly share their Christian faith in public. “I love it, I think it’s phenomenal”, says Arsenal head coach, Mikel Arteta.
‘Bible Brothers’ celebrate a goal . / [link]Noni Madueke instagram[/link]
English football team Arsenal is having one of its best seasons ever. They lead the Champions League after winning all their matches, and are also in first place in the Premier League, with a two-point advantage over Manchester City.
In their last Champions League match against Bayern Munich, they won 3–0 with goals from Jurrien Timber, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli. For Madueke, it was his first goal for Arsenal since joining the team this season. In the post-match interview, when asked how he felt, he said: “First of all, I just want to thank my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”.
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Both the English right winger and the Dutch right back, Jurrien Timber, are very outspoken about their faith.
And they are not alone. Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Gabriel, Gabriel Jesus, Piero Hincapié and Cristhian Mosquera also often share about their Christian faith in public.
All these Arsenal players are known as the ‘Bible Brothers’.
“It is fantastic that we have a squad that is not ashamed of their faith. We believe it gives us such a massive boost when we go on to the pitch”, Madueke recently told the Premier League in an interview.
The ‘Bible Brothers’ “believe that we have God fighting for us. It is fantastic. It just brings us closer together”, pointed out the right winger.
“Before every game, we pray together for a few minutes and then also at the hotel, for a few minutes. There are probably 10 of us, so a few of us contribute. Maybe we pick a scripture, we talk about it, read about it, see what everyone is going through, how we can help, pray for each other, it is really good”, he explained.
Madueke posted a picture with his Arsenal team-mates on Instagram, the day after the match against Bayern, with the caption “Thank you God for this brotherhood that you have created”.
For Jurrien Timber, nicknamed ‘Pastor Timber’ by Arsenal fans, praying before games with his teamates, “it is amazing, it brings unity and understanding because you kind of live the same life”.
Timber is known for posting Bible verses before game on his social media profiles. In the press conference prior to Arsenal’s game against Bayern, he explained that “it is very different every game. They just come to me as I am speaking to team mates or to people around me, like my family and friends. I just come up with one Bile verse that fits for that day or for the game”.
When asked about his faith, the Dutch right back said: “For me, it is a way of life, I try to live by it”. He also said he liked the ‘Bible brothers’ nickname that Arsenal fans have given them.
For the other Arsenal right winger, Bukayo Saka, the Bible is also very important. In an interview with the GQ magazine in 2022, he pointed out that he tries to “read it every night before I go to bed. It helps me to learn more about God. I normally try to memorise the messages and what they mean and try to take them into my life”.
“Religion is a big part of my life. I am a strong believer in God”, he added. The English player defines himself as ‘God’s child’ on his Instagram profile, and often celebrates goals by pointing to the sky.
English attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze, another member of the ‘Bible Brothers’, also points to the sky after scoring a goal, making a cross with his two index fingers. Eze was raised in a Christian home and “learned from a young age to trust God’s plan. My family do a great job of reminding me of my relationship with God”, he told Sky sports TV channel.
“I’ve learned in myself that staying rooted in Christ is the most important thing, because it allows you to see things through the right lens. You never know what is around the corner. The one solid rock and foundation is Christ, and having that allows me to deal with whatever circumstance I’m in”, underlined Eze in an interview with the Men in Blazers podcast.
Spanish Arsenal head coach of Arsenal and former footballer, Mikel Arteta, recently told TNT Sports TV channel that he supports his players' beliefs.
“I love it because I think that connects them more. The fact that some of them have the same beliefs or strong beliefs about that helps their well-being and mental side. I think it’s phenomenal”, he said.
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