England striker Saka: “I read my Bible every night” in Qatar

“It’s really important to have the presence of God in me all the time”. In his first football World Cup, the 21-year-old player has already scored 3 goals.

Evangelical Focus

07 DECEMBER 2022 · 10:24 CET

England football player Bukayo Saka pointing to heaven during a match of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. / Photo: <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/BukayoSaka87/">Twitter @bukayosaka87</a>.,
England football player Bukayo Saka pointing to heaven during a match of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. / Photo: Twitter @bukayosaka87.

Bukayo Saka is one of the players in the FIFA World Cup getting more attention.

MVP of the first match England won against Iran (6-2, two of them goals scored), the young player born near London of Nigerian parents has kept the humility he learned as a child.

Raised in a Christian family, Bukayo (which in Yoruba language means “He who adds happiness”) is a committed Christian who shares his faith in a natural way.

“I read my Bible every night, I’ve been continuing to do that out here”, he said in a press conference after England beat Senegal in the round of sixteen. A journalist had asked if he continued his personal discipline with Scripture.

Saka continued: “For me, it is 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. Just having faith in God so I don’t need to be nervous or worry about any outcomes because obviously this is 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”.

On his social media profiles, Saka has also shared photos with messages such as “The Lord is my strength” or “Another win, another goal. God is great!”. The player’s bio on Instagram just reads: “God’s child”.

The striker plays throughout the regular season for Arsenal FC in London.

In September 2022, Bukayo was voted by the fans as England’s Player of the Year. He also was among the top Ballon D’Or top 10 of best players in the world under the age of 21.

Other football players in Qatar are expressing their Christian faith on the pitch. It was the case of almost all players of the Ecuador team, who prayed on their knees after tjeir Qatar 2022 matches.

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