Former professional soccer player Jesse Bradley saw the World Cup as more than just a soccer tournament. It was a beacon of hope for the world.
“Faith is no longer silenced. Faith is not hidden. There’s a generation right now that’s authentic, that’s bold, and they’re just sharing humbly about what’s most important in their life. And it’s even more important than the title, as good as it was to win the World Cup,” Bradley said on an episode of the “Fuel the Fire” podcast with Will Dawson.
Dawson recalled a conversation he had with English soccer player John Bostock, who is part of the “movement that [is] bringing players together and praying, Ballers in God,” along with the King’s movement, which is when players symbolically put a crown on the ground.
“He was talking about how it just was an unprecedented thing for teams to come together after after the match and pray together,” Dawson said. “So it has been really faith forward, and it was good for me to watch as I’m not someone who typically will watch soccer, love the World Cup, and definitely got a lot out of that. And getting to see players of faith.”
The World Cup saw many players and teams, including the United States, Curaçao, Spain and more, praise God publicly on the pitch.
Related: 15 FIFA World Cup Players Vocal About Their Faith in Jesus
United States’ defender Mark McKenzie declared that Jesus is “my everything.”
“He is not only my savior, not only my Jehovah Jireh, my Jehovah Rapha, my Jehovah Nissi. He is my everything,” McKenzie told Matt Forte on the “Sports Spectrum” podcast. “He is the one who is holy of holiest. He is the one who reigns on high. He’s the one I depend on for everything. I think that’s the only way I can describe Him. It might seem a little cliche, but it is the truth.”
“He is the one who knows all, knew all, yet still gives His all for me and requires so little. Like the salvation that I have is is nothing that I’ve earned. It’s a gift, and there’s nothing else to it, you know? Like every day that goes by is a day where I have to look up and say, ‘Thank you, Lord, for seeing me through this,’” the defender added.
Curaçao star Kenji Gorré led his team spiritually throughout their time in the World Cup tournament.
“One thing that God’s really taught me is that we have to have an audience of one, and that is playing for Jesus,” Gorré also said on the “Sports Spectrum” podcast. “That is playing not for your name to be glorified, but for His name to be glorified and understanding that it’s actually not about me.”
“This can only be God that has led us to this point. One thing that’s so beautiful is that He’s the real foundation of what we have built on as well,” he continued. “We pray every morning, we pray before the games, and that’s just something that has become a tradition of ours. We give glory to Jesus in everything that we do.”
The World Cup served as a platform where players and teams openly prioritized and celebrated their faith on a global stage. They demonstrated that spiritual devotion exceeds all competitive victory.
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