The unfortunate truth is that most people who call themselves Christians live nothing like Christ and just take His name in vain. When a person decides to convert from one religion to another, he/she makes this choice willingly and is ready to devote his/her life to the chosen religion.
Here, we gathered information about famous football players who decided to convert to Christianity from Islam. During the collection of information, we also debunked rumors about religious views of footballers Kevin-Prince Boateng and Samuel Kuffour.
1. Djibril Cissé
Djibril Cissé is a French footballer who plays for JS Saint-Pierroise. In 2004, when Cissé played for Liverpool, he broke his right leg during the game against Blackburn Rovers. He was afraid to loose his leg below the knee, however, because of prompt attention from the trainers at the stadium, Cissé’s leg is functioning well now. Cisse was born Muslim though he converted to Christianity in 2007.
2. George Weah
George Weah is a former Liberian footballer who is regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time and of his generation, in 1995 he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d’Or. Weah converted from Protestant Christianity to Islam and practiced Islam for 10 years before converting back. He hopes for peace for Muslims and Christians, and says they are “one people.” Nowadays Weah professes Protestantism.
3. Kevin-Prince Boateng
Many people believe that a Ghanaian international footballer, who was nominated for African Footballer of the Year, is a pure Christian. There are rumors that the young footballer converted to Islam because of his Turkish friends and girlfriend, but after he met his bride-to-be Jenny he turned back to Christianity. The information about his conversion is false. The footballer revealed during an interview that he is a devoted Muslim. He said he recites the holy Quran very often and also regularly observes the very important Islamic fasting period of Ramadan.
4. Samuel Kuffour
There are some articles in the Internet that suggest a Ghanaian retired professional footballer converted to Islam during the 2002-03 football season, however, this information isn’t true. He always was and still is a devoted Christian. During his interview with BBC for the ‘Heart and Soul’ documentary, Kuffour admitted that some German teammates were surprised to see him praying to God before games. He also said his Christian faith gave him the strength to accept the death of his 15-month-old daughter Godiva who drowned after falling into a swimming pool at the star’s home in Accra.