Arsenal and England winger Bukayo Saka was recently spotted wearing a wristband in Arsenal training that has given us an insight into his strong faith in religion.
The right-winger was seen wearing a black wristband that read, “What God cannot do does not exist.”
Raised in a devout Christian home of Nigerian Yoruba heritage, this came as no surprise, as Saka grew up surrounded by church life and scripture.
He attended the Edward Betham Church of England Primary School, which has a strong Christian ethos.
Saka’s journey with Christianity began in his childhood. He referred to this as a life-changing moment in an interview and stated,
One day I was in church, and I felt a real connection with God. I’ve no clue how old I was. I was small. But I feel like from that day I’ve been different. I’ve seen life differently.
Additionally, the winger in an interview mentioned just how important religion is for him, especially through the ups and downs in his career, by stating,
Religion is so important to me, and I can’t stress that enough. I always say that God is great, and religion allows me to be content and happy at all times, which is really vital because, as we all know, football can be a roller coaster. There are so many moments when you’re ‘up’ because you’re winning and massive moments when you’re ‘down’ because you’re losing. Religion just allows me to keep faith that God’s plan is perfect, and therefore, there is nothing for me to worry about. I can be happy knowing that God knows what’s best for me, and that’s how I approach my life and career.
This is important to note because after England’s heartbreaking final loss against Italy, where the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka missed their penalties, it marked a dark day for English football, as just moments after, all three faced severe backlash and racism.
However, this was a turning point for Saka, as he had a stellar World Cup campaign in 2022 with his country, where he registered 3 goals and 1 assist and helped the Three Lions qualify up until the quarter-final, where they sadly lost out 2-1 to France.
Saka also had a great Euros campaign in 2024 recently, wherein in the Round of 16 tie against Switzerland, after scoring an equalizer in normal time, he went on to overcome his 2020 demons and score a penalty in the shootout, which eventually allowed England to qualify for the quarters.
After a dark time in 2020, Saka credited this comeback of his in the national team to God and often relied on God as a source of strength and resilience during this time.
Saka also makes a point of reading his Bible every night, including during major tournaments like the 2022 World Cup.
He credits this practice for giving him confidence and calm and stated,
I read my Bible every night; I’ve been continuing to do that out here. 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.”
Bukayo also prays and asks for God’s help for his team and himself. He often gestures by pointing to the sky after scoring or assisting, seeing it as a spiritual act of gratitude.
On his pre-game and post-game rituals, the winger stated,
I hold on to God’s promises, such as the Scripture ‘Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. So before every game I ask God to help me play well, help my team, and try to score a goal or assist a goal, and he answers my prayers, so this is why I point to the sky to thank him.”
Arsenal’s no. 7 had an electrifying season in the Premier League last year, registering 12 goals and 14 assists even after suffering a major injury and being out for a while.
As Arsenal plays Newcastle in their next preseason fixture in the Singapore National Stadium in Singapore on the 27th of July, fans will be hoping to see some much-needed minutes in the tank for their English winger as he gears up for yet another enthralling Premier League season.
