The versatile Fulham left-back, capped 8 times by England, found God in 2007 but only went public with his faith last December when he too revealed a T-shirt with the words-“ I belong to Jesus’’ after scoring for Sunderland against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Synonymous with Football’s ‘bling’ culture, partying and looking good eventually came before his football. “ Five years ago all I cared about was going out, clothing and looking good. I wasn’t happy. I started thinking more about money rather than football. I’d go out with my friends after a game to nightclubs, get drunk and meet women. But I wasn’t happy”.

But a visit to a church with his girlfriend at the time changed the course of his life:  “My life changed. It didn’t change straightaway. It was a gradual thing; It has been a gradual thing”.  Richardson who spent 5 years at Man Utd during which he picked up a Premier League title, a League Cup and the Community Shield, is now content: “Now I have Jesus Christ in my life and I feel good in my heart”.

– See more at: http://www.christian.co.uk/sport/five-top-footballers-in-gods-squad-p11224#sthash.s4ExZDQW.dpuf

Profoundly religious, he likes to quote Galatians 1:10: “Am I trying to win the approval of human beings or God? If I were still trying to please people I would not be a servant of Christ.” Before each game, he kneels on the goalline, opens his arms wide and prays. “I’ll keep doing it even if people insult me, calling me a gilipollas [dickhead],” he said.

Darren is a man with learning disabilities who uses Prospects Supported Living services to help him in his home in Conwy.

He came to know Jesus not too long ago, admitting that becoming a Christian changed him into a new man.

Via Prospects http://www.prospects.org.uk/index.php/news_stories/152

As Costa Rica’s players tie their laces and the team’s coaches shout final instructions before Sunday’s World Cup last-16 tie with Greece, Arsenal striker Joel Campbell will pause, take a breath and begin whispering to himself.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

He recites the words to give him strength, words that make him think of his mother, Roxana, his father, Humberto, and three siblings in Costa Rica. Family is the second pillar in his life. God is the first.

Luiz has never played down his strong Christian beliefs and he has links with the Atletas de Cristo (Athletes of Christ) – a non-profit organisation that is made up of sportsmen and was started in Brazil in 1984. It is linked with the evangelical movement and counts Kaka and Lucio among its many devotees.

“My faith gives me the belief that I can go out and perform and improve as a player. It gives me strength and inspiration,” Luiz said last season.

The laying-on of hands on a team-mate is not something he practised at Benfica but he was famous there for the stickers on a van that he used to drive to training – one saying “Christ is life” and the other “God is Faith”.

When he left Portugal he nearly ended up at Real Madrid with Kaka, who he has often said inspires him “both on and off the pitch”. Asked about his future while still at the Portuguese club, Luiz said: “Everything in life belongs to God. Our purpose has already been mapped out.”

Fifa banned prayer in the last World Cup in reaction to Brazil celebrating their 2009 Confederations Cup victory in worship. The Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez gets down on his knees to pray before kick-off.

http://www.mchang.com/mchang/christianity.html

http://www.cbn.com/tv/1430469465001

U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan has shared his testimony on the Beyond the Ultimate website, which features Christian sports stars. “I think we all need Christ in our lives,” he writes. “Money, fame, all those objects, they don’t mean anything if you don’t have Jesus in your life. All of those things can be gone in the blink of an eye. We can’t get caught up in it.”

The Brazilian captain Thiago Silva, regarded by some commentators as the best defender in the world, is another strong Christian. As a young, up-and-coming footballer he played for a short time in Moscow and there he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Coming near to death, he was also at one point told by doctors that he might lose one lung, and he was forced to miss an entire season of soccer.

He has no doubts about the nature of his subsequent miraculous recovery. “God saved me,” he has declared

Edinson Roberto Cavani Gómez is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Paris Saint-Germain in the French Ligue 1

He is reported to be a devout  Evangelical Christian who claims to read the Bible every day.

(Source. Daily Telegraph magazine)

The Uruguayan striker, for several years it has embraced the Christian faith and came to be part of that group of professional athletes in all disciplines who share a love for Jesus Christ and recognize him as Lord and Savior of their lives . These athletes have the responsibility to live a Christian life to the unanimous will of God in the world of sport “,