Football is one of the most popular sports in the world and footballers are some of the most high-profile public athletes. However, there is still so much we do not know about our favourite footballers.
Religion is one of the most sensitive and salient features of a person. While some footballers are extremely open about their personal beliefs, there are some famous footballers whose religions of choice are no so well known.
Without much ado, let us take a look at 10 footballers who you might not know were Muslim: (First let us take a look at the most famous Muslim footballers)
Some well known Muslim footballers
Mesut Ozil
One of the most well-known current active footballers on this list, Mesut Ozil is often seen bestowing his thanks to the Almighty on the football pitch. The German footballer recites from the Quran before his match.
Özil said, “I always do that before I go out [on the pitch]. I pray and my teammates know that they cannot talk to me during this brief period.”
Zinedine Zidane
One of the greatest footballers of all time, Zidane is probably the most famous Muslim footballer to ever play the game. A once in a generation player, Zidane has now made an extremely successful transition to management, even winning the Champions League twice in two years with Real Madrid. The Frenchman is not overtly religious though and does not publicly show or speak much about his personal beliefs.
Karim Benzema
I am sure most of you guys would have known about the above 3 footballers. Now let us take a look at names which might surprise you:
#10 Emmanuel Adebayor
One of the greatest African players of the last generation, Emmanuel Adebayor has had a successful career in various top clubs across Europe including Arsenal, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
Currently playing for Turkish club Istanbul Basaksehir, Adebayor converted to Islam as recently as July 2015. The formerTottenham striker is seen wearing white robes taking part in the Shahada, a ceremony in which one declares belief in ‘the oneness of Allah and acceptance of Muhammad as his prophet’ in a video on Youtube.
The Togo striker will be hoping to guide his side to the Champions League group stages after finishing an impressive second place in the Turkish Super League in the 2016/17 season. The below video shows Adebayor converting to Islam in July 2015:
#9 Nicolas Anelka
One of the most talented strikers to emerge from France in the last 25 years, Nicolas Anelka converted to Islam from Christianity when he was just 16. Another not so well known fact is that Anelka even adopted the Muslim name Abdul-Salam Bilal in 1994. Speaking about his conversion, Anelka said:
“I was sixteen when I converted to Islam, beyond the fraternal aspect, my conversion did not change my life. I was already living by the same principles — being righteous, having values. I used to fast during Ramadan because I admired the people fasting around me. What made me convert was that I had that certainty that Islam was for me.
“I felt this relationship with God, and that enlightened my life. I had that conviction in my heart that that was my religion. I am pleased to be a Muslim, a religion of peace and I learned a lot from Islam.” – he was quoted saying.
Anelka was last seen as the manager of Indian Super League side Mumbai City FC.
#8 Marouane Fellaini
Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini is a Muslim by birth. Born to Morrocan parents from Tangier and brought up in Brussels, Fellaini had successful spells at Standard Liege and Everton before securing a big money move to Premier League giants Manchester United.
The combative midfielder has had a mixed spell at Old Trafford, but he has managed to win an FA Cup and a Europa League title with the Red Devils, Still only 29, Fellaini still has a good 4-5 years left at the top level.
Used by Jose Mourinho to bully players in the air, Fellaini’s physical presence on the pitch has often broken stubborn defences. The Belgian might not be the most stylish player on the pitch, but there is no doubting his effectiveness for Manchester United.
#7 Eric Abidal
Eric Abidal is a fighter. The Barcelona legend came back from cancer to play at the very highest level again. A supremely decorated footballer, the former Monaco left-back has won plenty of trophies all over Europe.
Abidal converted from Christianity to Islam in 2007 after marrying Algerian-born former gymnast Hayet Kebir. Speaking about his conversion, Abidal said:
“All the natural progress. Options converted to Islam not because of my wife, but a gift that had suddenly appeared. It really happened there. Flowing away and made me feel happy. I embraced Islam with full confidence,” he was quoted saying.
One of the game’s premier left-backs, Abidal had a long and successful career at Barcelona before finally calling time at Olympiacos after the end of 2014-15 season.
#6 Granit Xhaka
Arsenal and Swiss midfield star Granit Xhaka is one of the three Muslim first team stars (along with Ozil and Mustafi) at the North London side. Bought from German side Borussia Monchengladbach for a fee of around £35 million, the Swiss star has had a decent first season.
Capable of breaking up play and setting up attacks with equal ease, Xhaka after a tough settling period showed his true game towards the end of the season where he played a crucial role in Arsenal’s stunning FA Cup triumph over Chelsea.
Not afraid of crunching into tackles, Xhaka’s physical presence in the centre of the field coupled with his ball playing skills gives Arsene Wenger’s side a new dimension and it will be interesting to see how the Swiis midfielder fares in his second season at the Premier League club.
#5 Edin Dzeko
One of the most underrated strikers in world football, Edin Dzeko has practised Islam since he was born. The Bosnian striker has been successful wherever he has played especially for Bundesliga club Wolfsburg, Premier League side Manchester City and his current side AS Roma. A prolific goalscorer, Dzeko had a stunning 2016/17 season where he scored 39 goals in 51 appearances.
An absolute superstar in his home country of Bosnia, Dzeko is also multilingual and capable of speaking 4 languages – Bosnian, Czech, German and English fluently. He is also involved in plenty of charitable ventures and even became his country’s first UNICEF ambassador.
Still only 31, Dzeko will be determined to add some more chapters to his already storied career. The Bosnian Diamond will be determined to guide Roma to the Serie A title in the 2017/18 season.
#4 Sadio Mane
One of the best signings of the 2016/17 season, Sadio Mane is a devout Muslim and a teetotaler. The Senegal man was one of the best players in the Premier League last season and Mane credited religion with playing a huge role in his success.
In an earlier interview with Dail Mail, Mane spoke about the importance of Islam in his life:
“Religion is very important to me. I respect the rules of Islam and I pray five times a day, always. I won’t touch alcohol. There was no conflict between religion and the fact that I wanted to play football. I was brought up correctly and in the right way and my parents are proud of the fact that I am a footballer.”
In fact, Mane’s father was even the Imam of a local mosque at his home country in Senegal. A true superstar in Africa, Mane is determined to give back to the region he came from and make it a better place.
#3 Miralem Pjanic
Bought by Juventus as a replacement for Paul Pogba, 26-year-old Miralem Pjanic has quickly settled into his role as the chief playmaker in this very impressive Juventus side. Gifted with amazing technical ability, playmaking skills and tactical versatility, Pjanic is also exceptional at taking free-kicks.
Having moved to Luxembourg before the start of the Bosnian war, Pjanic quickly grew up to be one of the best ball-playing midfielders of this generation. Now representing Bosnia, Pjanic like his compatriot Dzeko is a Muslim from birth.
Known for his calm and composed style on the ball, Pjanic’s incisive passing and vision has been crucial to Juventus’ good performances this season. The Bosnian midfielder will be hoping to continue performing at the highest level.
#2 Franck Ribery
One of the greatest wingers of all time, Franck Ribery converted to Islam in 2002 after being inspired by his wife Wahiba who is of Algerian descent. He also added the name Bilal after his conversion.
Speaking about his conversion from Christianity to Islam, Ribery said:
“Religion is my personal thing. I am a believer and since I converted to Islam, I think, I became stronger, I became mentally and physically stronger. Religion did not change my personality or my perception of the world. I pray five times a day, I do it because it enables me to be released and I feel better afterwards”
The Frenchman is a staunch follower of Islam and was even reportedly extremely angry with Boateng for dousing him in beer after winning the Bundesliga in 2013. A true Bayern Munich legend, Ribery will be looking to end his career on a high with the Bundesliga giants.
#1 Paul Pogba
One of the most marketable footballers in the world, Paul Pogba is a devout and practising Muslim from birth. The Manchester United star made a world record transfer from Juventus and though he initially struggled to make an impact, he soon started showing his quality and became an integral part of Manchester United’s Europa League triumph.
Still only 24, Pogba is considered by many to be a future Ballon d’Or winner and his potential and talent is what led to United forking out the huge sum for the Frenchman. Born in Siene-et-Marne to Guinean parents, Paul Pogba along with his brothers Florentin and Mathias are Muslim.
One of the most valuable players in the world Pogba is capable of playing as a central midfielder and in a slightly more advanced role. Jose Mourinho is determined to get the best out of his world record signing and we might just see the best of the Frenchman in the 2017/18 season.
Comments are closed.