Eberechi Eze has declared that his ultimate goal in football is to glorify God, saying he wants to “win, get to the top and to glorify God” in an interview released online on Thursday.
The 27-year-old Arsenal midfielder, who previously played for Crystal Palace and is married, was speaking on the Men In Blazers show when he said: “I want them to say that ‘in everything he did, he glorified Jesus. That’s my only mission, if I’m honest.”
Eze revealed that his faith has shaped every stage of his career, from early setbacks to professional success.
“The love for football is always there… And my faith, faith in God and trust in that, and my mom telling me that it's gonna be fine… she had a prayer… she was praying to go back… Some prayers take longer than others,” he said, reflecting on being released by Arsenal’s academy at 13.
The footballer described perseverance through multiple rejections as rooted in both work and prayer. “I never considered doing anything else… The mindset was you work and apply yourself as much as you can, and you believe that this thing will happen alongside it, and you pray for it every day, and you trust that it will come. And when these things are aligned, you can't deviate,” he said.
Looking back on his career, including his time at Crystal Palace and his FA Cup goal for Arsenal, Eze said, “I don't know what will happen. There'll be ups, there'll be downs, but I have more confidence in that fact that it is written, God has really played this out for not just me but my whole family… There's no other way this story could have gone to make it better… For me, this is perfect."
He described faith as central to his identity and how he approaches life: “Faith is believing in Jesus Christ. What did Jesus Christ tell me to do? Gonna follow that, gonna live by that… That puts things into perspective of what this life really is."
He added: "There's something far more important, far greater than all of this. That's what faith is to me. It anchors my life. It teaches me how to treat people, how to love people… letting go of myself… it's not about me. That's Jesus Christ that taught me that.”
Eze is also part of Arsenal’s “Bible Brothers,” a group of players including Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber, and Noni Madueke, who pray together and hold Bible studies to strengthen team unity and support one another’s faith.