Bukayo Saka isn’t afraid to speak about his love for God.
The Arsenal superstar has spoken numerous times away from the pitch about his Christian faith.
The 22-year-old is also now starting to shine a light on his beliefs on the pitch too.
Bukayo Saka’s wristband
In Arsenal’s Premier League match against Newcastle on Feb 24, 2024, Saka celebrated his goal by lifting his hands to the adoring fans.
The England international revealed a wristband he was wearing, which had a cross clearly displayed.
The cross represents the love of Jesus, who chose to die for us on a cross so that we can have a relationship with God.
This is a belief that Saka holds close to his heart and chooses to show to the rest of the world.
Bukayo Saka on his love for the bible
In April 2022, the Arsenal star sat down with British GQ to chat about the ’10 things Saka can’t live without’.
The 21-year-old’s list included his beloved PlayStation controller, super hydrating moisturiser, and most importantly his bible…
“This is my bible. It was a gift from my dad.
It’s really special to me, I try to read it every night before I go to bed.
I’ve learned a lot from it and still reading it all the time, so it’s important for me.”
“Religion is a big part of my life. I’m a strong believer in God.
Reading this bible all the time helps me to learn more and more about God.
I normally memorise the messages and what it means and try and take it into my life.”
Bukayo Saka on Instagram
The England winger often refers to himself as ‘God’s Child’ on his social media accounts.
This is about the Christian belief that those who trust in God become his beloved children:
John 1: 12-13: ‘Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. We are all children of God.’
Bukayo Saka on his celebration
Saka has yet to create his own trademark celebration, however, there is one element to his goalscoring routine that stays the same.
After every goal, the Arsenal star points to the sky.
In 2020, Saka wrote to students at his old school about the role that faith has played in his life:
“I grew up in a Christian family who believe strongly in God.
This always made me curious to get to know God more and I have done so by reading my Bible a lot and going to church a lot over the years.
My faith is constantly being exercised when I’m put in different situations or I play in big football matches such as my England debut.”
“I hold onto 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.”
Bukayo Saka on the national stage
Saka most recently spoke about his faith after England beat Senegal 3-0 at the 2022 World Cup.
After the match in the press conference, the winger was asked about whether he’d been reading the bible during his stay in Qatar:
“Yeah, I’ve been continuing to do that out here. I read my Bible every night.
“For me, it’s 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. You know just having faith in God so I don’t need to be nervous or worry about any outcomes because obviously, it’s 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.”
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