This might be unusual to see for an American audience. How many famous American actors, singers, rappers, influencers, or other celebrities profess their faith after feats of greatness? What is it about soccer players that differentiates them from the rest of the most famous people in the world?
Ricardo Kaká is a Brazilian midfielder and one of the best role models for Christians watching soccer. Kaká’s strong connection to God is evident not only through his God-given talent on the pitch but also through the life he is living his life off of it. A devout Christian since the age of 12, Kaká said his faith always inspired him to take his career as far as it could. After winning the 2002 World Cup for Brazil and collecting many other titles including at the 2007 Champions League, Kaká started a trend in the football world by celebrating each trophy with a prayer while donning a T-shirt saying “I Belong to Jesus.”
At the 2007 FIFA Ballon d’Or Ceremony where he was crowned as the best soccer player in the world, Kaká said that his childhood dream was to only be good enough to play for São Paulo (his boyhood, local team) and play at least one game for the Brazilian National Team. Now looking back at his life with much gratitude and humbleness, he told reporters that “the Bible says God can give you more than you even ask for and that is what has happened in my life.”
Kaká’s reverence towards God after the 2007 Champions League Final represents only one of the many instances when soccer players openly express their faith in God on what seems for some to be the world’s biggest stage. Soccer players often celebrate their goals with prayers, genuflections, or signs of the Holy Cross. They go on to thank God during award ceremonies and many are public about living a Christian lifestyle off the pitch. Unlike the regular promiscuous chaos we see among Hollywood celebrities, many soccer players are married and have large families.
While trying to answer what it is about soccer players that makes them more likely to present themselves as devout Christians than any other subgroup of celebrities, the reason why is multifaceted.
First, ethnic background matters. Some of the most talented and popular soccer players tend to come from Latin America, Eastern Europe, or Southern Europe, regions that tend to have higher levels of religiosity and cultures that still hold on to Christianity as very sacred. This is a very different social outlook than here in the U.S., or in Western and Northern Europe where societies have largely drifted into secularism.
Yet, the ethnic background explains the phenomenon only partly. Some of the highest- profile soccer players in the West, such as the Netherlands’ Cody Gakpo, France’s Olivier Giroud, England’s Bukayo Saka, and USA’s Christian Pulisic, are also devout Christians.
A corroborating explanation might be that many soccer players come from very humble backgrounds which makes them more grounded and grateful for what they have- two key Christian virtues. For instance, the Uruguayan star-striker Luis Suárez grew up as one of seven siblings raised by a single mother and was a street sweeper in
Montevideo before he became a professional soccer player. Suárez then eventually used his success to bring his family out of poverty. That drive to win as if his entire life depended on it never seems to have left him. A devout Catholic, Suárez credits his faith in God as his inspiration for what carries him forward past all obstacles. Like Suárez, many soccer players know what is like to have nothing, so they continue to honor God by being grateful for what He has granted them thus far.
But even still, many soccer players who are also faithful Christians come from middle-class or even upper-class families so there must be something else that encourages them to keep and follow their Christian faith. I argue that, unlike Hollywood which promotes sin, vice, and temptation, the soccer world not only encourages healthy habits that are conducive to a Christian lifestyle but it also lacks the central community where sin is propagated.
The way Hollywood is structured, in which it is its own culture, seemingly cut off from the real world, allows a sin like pride to infect everything and everyone it touches.
And once you have a community built upon narcissistic pride, it is inevitable more sin will follow suit. To the benefit of the world of soccer, a Hollywood-like community does not exist, partly due to the truly global nature of the sport. Players come from all corners of the globe while every country has their own leagues and own tournaments. They also live in the city or town their club team is based in rather than all in one neighborhood like Hollywood. Furthermore, the sport of soccer encourages discipline due to the rigorous training schedules as well as other aspects such as abstinence from drugs and alcohol.
While not every single soccer player is a great Christian role model, an overwhelming number of them are, especially when compared to other famous people. Whether it be their ethnic background, humble upbringing, or just the sports environment that promotes discipline and level-headedness, these are all contributing factors that are conducive to a more Christian lifestyle.
