Arsenal favourite Eberechi Eze has spoken openly about the importance of his Christian faith in his life and football career, ahead of the Champions League final.
The Gunners are hoping for a double-winning season, hoping to add Europe’s top club title to their trophy cabinet alongside the Premier League. They play Paris Saint Germain, the current holders, in Budapest on Saturday.
Eze was speaking to Andrew Mensah, the comedian and his cousin, during a Sky Sports interview. Asking about his beliefs being more than wanting to perform better on the pitch, Mensah said: “I know faith isn’t you praying, ‘Lord, let me nutmeg Rodri today’. What actually is faith?”
“Faith is confidence in what you have not yet seen, and an assurance that it’s going to come”, the England international replied.
“That faith is a foundation, it’s a pillar for me in my life, of course because of my Christian background and how I’ve grown up. For me, that’s just an anchor of how I live my life. I see everything through the eyes of faith.
“If there’s something that I want to achieve, I first have that belief, it first comes from that. Then you work, you find out the steps that you need to take in order to achieve that. But you have to have that thing that you can’t grasp, that you can’t measure, that you can’t actually get your hands on it. It’s a feeling you have inside of you.
“The more you practice it, the stronger it becomes, the more convicted you are of that faith, of that belief. It’s an assurance and confidence in what I haven’t seen yet”, the England international added.
Arsenal’s ‘Bible Brothers’, a group of Christians in the squad, have spoken openly about how their faith has guided them through the season, giving God the glory during their title celebrations.
In a press conference ahead of the final, Bukayo Saka was questioned on how he responds to the pressure.“I just try and enjoy it, focus on the moments, stay present, and leave the rest in God’s hands”, he responded.