The 2026–27 season is the 134th season in the history of Newcastle United Football Club and their tenth consecutive season in the Premier League. In addition to the domestic league, the club is also participating in the FA Cup and the EFL Cup.
Among the club’s achievements, Newcastle have won four League titles, six FA Cups, one League Cup, and an FA Charity Shield, as well as the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the ninth-highest total of trophies won by an English club. In 2025, Newcastle won the 2024–25 EFL Cup, the club’s first trophy in nearly 56 years, and their first domestic trophy since 1955.
Beyond the club’s achievements, Newcastle United features a diverse squad with players from various religious backgrounds, notably including both practicing Christians and Muslims. Squad members like Anthony Elanga, William Osula, and Joe Willock are well-known Christians, while Amar Dedic, Yoane Wissa, and Bazoumana Touré are practicing Muslims.
Read below all the players in Newcastle United and their religious beliefs. Please contact us if you see any mistakes or errors regarding a specific player’s religion.
Table of Contents
Lukas Hornicek Religion
Lukas Hornicek is a Czech professional footballer who has not publicly disclosed his religious beliefs.
Hornicek is a youth product of the academies of the Czech clubs Sokol Dobříkov and Pardubice. In 2019, Hornicek was loaned to the Primeira Liga club SC Braga, subsequently making a permanent transfer to the club in 2020. During the 2023-24 season, Hornicek won the Portuguese League Cup with SC Braga.
On 3 August 2026, Hornicek signed for Newcastle United in a deal worth £25.7 million, signing a five-year contract until June 2031.
Sven Botman Religion
Sven Botman is a Dutch professional footballer who has not publicly shared his religious beliefs.
Botman began his youth career with local club RKSV Pancratius before joining the AFC Ajax academy at age nine in 2009. In 2019, at age 19, he was loaned to Eredivisie side SC Heerenveen. The following year, he transferred to Lille in Ligue 1, winning the 2020-21 Ligue 1 title and the French Super Cup with the club.
In June 2022, Botman signed for Newcastle United on a five-year deal for €40 million. During the 2022–23 season, he played a key role in Newcastle’s fourth-place Premier League finish and their run to the Carabao Cup final, appearing in 36 league matches. On 12 January 2026, Botman extended his contract with Newcastle United until the summer of 2030.
Aladji Bamba Religion
Aladji Bamba is a French professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim.
Bamba began his youth career locally before joining the AS Monaco Academy in 2021 and was subsequently promoted to the first-team squad in 2025. On 24 July 2026, Bamba signed for Newcastle United on a five-year deal. The transfer fee was reported to be £34 million.
Harvey Barnes Religion
Harvey Barnes is an English professional footballer who has not publicly spoken about his personal religious beliefs.
Barnes began his professional career in the Leicester City youth academy. From 2017, he gained match experience through loan spells at Barnsley and West Bromwich Albion. He made 187 appearances for the Leicester City first team, contributing 45 goals and 32 assists, and won the 2021 FA Cup with the club.
In July 2023, Barnes signed for Newcastle United on a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £38 million. In his debut Premier League match for the club, coming on as a substitute, he recorded one goal and one assist, helping the team to a 5-1 victory over Aston Villa. In March 2025, he won the EFL Cup with Newcastle, the club’s first major domestic cup title in 70 years.
Amar Dedic Religion
Amar Dedic is a Bosnian professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim. In July 2026, a video went viral showing Dedić beautifully reciting the Adhan inside a mosque in Graz, Austria, where he spent his early life.
Dedić started his professional career at Red Bull Salzburg, who assigned him to Liefering in 2019 and loaned him to Wolfsberger AC in 2021 and to Marseille in 2025. In July 2025, Benfica signed Dedić on a five-year contract for €12 million plus add-ons.
On 18 August 2026, Newcastle signed Dedić from Benfica for a reported £29.5 million on a five-year contract. He made an immediate impact, providing three assists in his first three appearances, which included a Premier League debut against Liverpool and a strong performance against Tottenham Hotspur.
Lewis Miley Religion
Lewis Miley is an English professional footballer who has not publicly disclosed his religious beliefs.
Miley joined the Newcastle United Academy at the age of seven. He made his first-team debut in a friendly against Al Hilal in 2022. In November 2022, he won the club’s Jack Hixon Award for most promising youngster. In 2024, Miley was ranked 19th on the NXGN list of the world’s top 50 young talents, becoming Newcastle’s youngest-ever Premier League goalscorer.
Anthony Elanga Religion
Anthony Elanga is a Swedish professional footballer who is a devout Christian.
Anthony Elanga was born on 27 April 2002 in the Hyllie ward of Malmö, Sweden, to a Cameroonian father. He moved to England and joined Manchester United Academy, where he became a top scorer at the youth level and won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 2020. In July 2023, he joined Nottingham Forest for a transfer fee of £15 million, where he helped the team finish seventh and qualify for the UEFA Conference League.
On 11 July 2025, Elanga joined Newcastle United for a reported £55 million transfer fee. On 16 August, he made his debut for the club in a 0–0 draw against Aston Villa in the league and scored his first goal in a 3–1 away defeat against Manchester City in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg on 4 February 2026.
Lewis Hall Religion
Lewis Hall is an English professional footballer who has not publicly shared details about his specific religious beliefs.
Hall initially began playing football at the Binfield youth academy and joined the Chelsea academy in 2012. On 8 January 2022, Hall made his official debut for the club in the FA Cup match against Chesterfield, and in a subsequent FA Cup match he became the youngest starting player in the competition’s history. In November 2022, he made his Premier League debut, and in the 2022-23 season he was named Chelsea Academy Player of the Year.
In August 2023, Hall joined Newcastle United on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy for £28 million, plus £7 million in add-ons. On 15 May 2024, he scored his first Premier League goal in a 3–2 loss to Manchester United. Later that year, on 1 July, he signed a permanent contract with Newcastle after activating his obligation to buy clause.
Jacob Murphy Religion
Jacob Murphy is an English professional footballer who has not publicly spoken about his religious beliefs or faith.
Murphy began his career at the Norwich City Academy. He made his first-team debut for Norwich City in an FA Cup match against Fulham in January 2014. Over the next three seasons, he featured sporadically in the first team while gaining experience through six loan spells to clubs including Swindon Town, Southend United, Blackpool, Scunthorpe United, Colchester United, and Coventry City.
In July 2017, Newcastle United signed Murphy for a transfer fee of £12 million. He had loan spells at West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield Wednesday before returning to Newcastle to sign a contract extension in 2021. On 19 February 2026, in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout round play-offs, Murphy came off the bench to score, helping Newcastle United defeat Qarabag FK 6-1.
Matias Fernandez-Pardo Religion
Matias Fernandez-Pardo is a Belgian professional footballer who has not publicly shared or discussed his personal religious beliefs.
Fernandez-Pardo plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Newcastle United and the Belgium national team. He previously played for Gent in Belgium and Lille in France. On 1 September 2026, Newcastle United confirmed the signing of Fernandez-Pardo on a long-term contract for a reported fee of €60 million plus add-ons.
Malick Thiaw Religion
Malick Thiaw is a German professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim. He identifies strongly with his Islamic faith.
Malick Thiaw was born on 8 August 2001 in Düsseldorf, Germany, to a Senegalese father and a Finnish mother. He began his professional career at Schalke 04 in 2020 before moving to Italy to join AC Milan on a transfer fee of €5 million. With Milan, he won the 2024 Italian Super Cup.
On 12 August 2025, Thiaw joined Newcastle United for an estimated £30 million transfer fee, plus £4.3 million in add-ons. He signed a five-year contract with the Magpies. On 29 November 2025, Thiaw scored two goals and was awarded Player of the Match in a 4–1 away victory over Everton.
At the beginning of the 26/27 Premier League season, Thiaw was named the captain of Newcastle United for their opening fixtures against Liverpool and Tottenham, during the absence of club captain Dan Burn.
Sean Steur Religion
Sean Steur is a Dutch professional footballer who keeps his spiritual views entirely private.
Steur began his youth career at the Volendam RKAV club before officially joining the world-renowned Ajax Youth Academy in 2016. At the age of 16, he made his debut for the Ajax Youth Team and subsequently signed his first professional contract.
In July 2026, Steur transferred from Ajax to Newcastle United, signing a five-year contract for a total transfer fee of approximately €27 million.
William Osula Religion
William Osula is a Danish professional footballer who is a devout Christian. He expresses his Christian faith publicly, including in his Instagram bio, where he describes Jesus Christ as his “Lord & Saviour.”
William Osula was born on 4 August 2003 in Aarhus, Denmark, to a Danish mother and a Nigerian father. He is a youth product of Copenhagen, where he played before moving to the youth academy of Sheffield United in 2018. He signed his first professional contract with Sheffield United in July 2021 after impressing in the club’s academy. In September 2022, Osula joined Derby County on a season-long loan.
In August 2024, Osula joined Newcastle United for a transfer fee of €15 million. He made his debut for the club as a substitute in a 3–1 loss to Fulham on 21 September. On 4 March 2026, he scored a 90th-minute winning goal in Newcastle’s 2–1 home victory against Manchester United. The goal then earned him the Premier League Goal of the Month award.
Bazoumana Touré Religion
Bazoumana Touré is an Ivorian professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim.
Touré plays as a left winger for Newcastle United and the Ivory Coast national team. Previously, he played for football clubs ASEC Mimosas, Hammarby IF, and TSG Hoffenheim, helping the latter qualify for the 2026 UEFA Europa League.
On 5 July 2026, Touré signed for Newcastle United on a £42 million transfer fee. He scored his first Premier League goal for the club on 14 September 2026 against Leeds United in a 4-1 loss.
Yoane Wissa Religion
Yoane Wissa is a Congolese professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim. He observes the holy month of fasting during Ramadan.
A product of the Châteauroux academy, Wissa began his senior career with the club in 2015. Following a spell with Angers, he moved to Lorient in 2018. He was a part of their team that finished the 2019–20 Ligue 2 season as champions. In August 2021, Brentford signed him for an undisclosed fee, and he became a key player in their promotion to the Premier League that season.
On 1 September 2025, Wissa completed a transfer to Newcastle United for a fee of £50 million plus add-ons. Later that year, on 6 December, he made his debut in a 2–1 victory over Burnley, becoming the 1000th player to represent the club in the league. On 30 December, he netted his first league goal for the club in a 3–1 away victory over Burnley.
Joe Willock Religion
Joe Willock is an English professional footballer who is a devout Christian. He grew up in a strict Christian household where his family regularly read the Bible and prayed together.
Joe Willock was born on 20 August 1999 in Walthamstow, London, England, to parents of Montserratian descent who had relocated to the United Kingdom in the late 1990s to escape the devastating volcanic eruptions on the Caribbean island. A youth product of Arsenal, Willock joined Arsenal at age four-and-a-half, having been allowed to play alongside his older brothers.
In January 2021, Willock joined Newcastle United on loan, and in August of the same year, he signed a permanent six-year deal for a transfer fee of £25 million. On 16 March 2025, he came off the bench to appear in the 2025 EFL Cup final and become part of the first Newcastle United team to win a major domestic honour in 70 years. On 28 January 2026, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 1–1 away draw with Paris Saint-Germain.
Joelinton Religion
Joelinton is a Brazilian professional footballer who is a devout, born-again Christian. During his time playing in Austria, Joelinton and his teammates had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican, where he asked the Holy Father for a hug.
Joelinton began his career in the youth academy of Sport Recife before signing with Bundesliga side TSG Hoffenheim in 2015. He spent two seasons on loan at Austrian club Rapid Wien, where he helped the team win the 2016–17 Austrian Football Bundesliga.
On 23 July 2019, Joelinton joined Newcastle United on a six-year deal for a reported club-record fee of £40 million and was named the club’s Player of the Season for the 2021-22 campaign. On 11 April 2024, Joelinton signed a new long-term contract with Newcastle until 2028.
Joelinton’s home was broken into by three men in the later hours of 13 January 2024, while he was attending Newcastle United’s home match over Manchester City.
