At the beginning of 2020, Liverpool’s Brazilian striker Roberto Firmino shared an unusual post with his 13 million Instagram followers. It was a video of his baptism. In the pool with him was teammate Allison Becker, and both were wearing T-shirts, commonly associated with Hillsong, which display the symbols ‘=’ (the cross equals love). Firmino’s Instagram caption read: “I gave you my failures and the victories I will give you too. My biggest title is your love, Jesus!”
It isn’t just Firmino and Becker who are open about their faith. The Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp, is also a Christian. He comes from a Lutheran background and has spoken of the security and liberation that Jesus gives him, once quipping: “If anyone asks me about my faith, I give information. Not because I have claim to be any sort of missionary. But when 40 I look at me and my life – and I take time for that every day – then I feel I am in sensationally good hands.”
Two hundred miles south of Liverpool, and a little further down the football pyramid, Adebayo Akinfenwa and Alex Samuel recently took to their knees in prayer after Wycombe Wanderers gained a promotion. In an Instagram post, Samuel explained that two years ago, injured and without a team, God gave him a vision that he would play for Wycombe…
This article appears in the November 2020 edition of Premier Christianity Magazine. If you’d like to read the full piece, you can order a free copy of the magazine can here (if you’re reading this after November 2020, please contact subscriptions@premier.org.uk to request a copy of the correct edition).
