Arsenal will be going into their 35th season in the Premier League and their 101st consecutive season in the top flight of English football. This means that Arsenal are the first team to spend 100+ seasons straight in the English top flight and the 110th season in the top flight overall. Among Arsenal’s achievements, they have won 14 English top-flight league titles, including 4 Premier League titles, 14 FA Cups, and 2 EFL Cups.
Since its foundation, Arsenal has featured many players with diverse religious beliefs. In the current squad, players like Cristhian Mosquera, Bukayo Saka, and Eberechi Eze are among the notable players in the squad who are Christians. William Saliba is the primary first-team Arsenal player who openly identifies as a practicing Muslim.
Read below all the players in Arsenal and their religious beliefs. Please contact us if you see any mistakes or errors regarding a specific player’s religion.
Table of Contents
David Raya Religion
David Raya is a Spanish professional footballer who has not publicly stated his personal religion.
David Raya Martín was born on September 15, 1995, in Barcelona, Reino de España, and he plays as a goalkeeper for Arsenal and the Spain national team. Raya began his youth career at UE Cornellà before moving to England at age 16 to join Blackburn Rovers on a scholarship in 2012. He signed his first professional contract with Blackburn when he turned 18 in 2013, and was soon loaned to non-league club Southport in the National League for the first half of the 2014–15 season. He later returned to Blackburn and won promotion from League One before signing permanently with Brentford in July 2019.
Raya first joined Arsenal on loan in August 2023 and the club completed a permanent transfer in 2024 for a fee of £27 million. In the 2025-26 season, Raya won the Premier League title with Arsenal.
On the international stage, Raya has won three major international titles with the Spain national football team, including the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League, the UEFA Euro 2024, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
William Saliba Religion
William Saliba is a French professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim. He has been seen attending local mosques, such as the Colney Mosque in London for Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan.
William Alain André Gabriel Saliba was born on 24 March 2001 in Bondy to a Lebanese father and a Cameroonian mother. He began playing football at the age of six and trained under Kylian Mbappé‘s father. In 2016, Saliba joined AS Saint-Étienne youth academy and was later promoted to the senior team in 2018.
In July 2019, Arsenal signed Saliba from Saint-Étienne for a reported £27 million. He was immediately loaned back to Saint-Étienne for the 2019–20 season, then spent further loan spells at OGC Nice in 2020–21 and at Olympique de Marseille in 2021–22. Saliba returned to Arsenal for the 2022–23 season and went on to score his first Arsenal goal on 20 August 2022 against Bournemouth.
Saliba is of Republic of Cameroon descent. His mother died in 2020.
Cristhian Mosquera Religion
Cristhian Mosquera is a Spanish professional footballer who is a practicing Christian. He openly shares his Christian faith on social media and during matches.
Cristhian Andrey Mosquera Ibargüen was born on 27 June 2004 in Alicante, in the Valencian Community of Spain, to Colombian parents. Due to his parents’ Colombian nationality, Mosquera holds eligibility for citizenship in that country alongside his Spanish nationality. In 2016, Mosquera joined the Valencia youth academy and subsequently made his first-team debut for Valencia at the age of 17 in 2022.
In the summer of 2025, Mosquera completed a high-profile transfer to Arsenal as the club’s fifth signing of the window. The transfer fee is believed to be £13 million. In the 2026 UEFA Champions League final, Mosquera conceded a penalty after fouling PSG winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and PSG went on to win in the penalty shootout.
Ben White Religion
Ben White is an English professional footballer who is widely perceived as non-religious. White has not publicly professed any religious affiliation.
Benjamin William White was born on 8 October 1997 in Poole, Dorset, England. He was diagnosed with issues with his immune system shortly after birth, which led to him frequently suffering from appendicitis and multiple virus infections during his childhood. White was educated at St. Michael’s Middle School and Queen Elizabeth’s School. He is a product of the Brighton & Hove Albion youth academy. In 2015, he was promoted to Brighton’s first team and subsequently had loan spells at Newport County, Peterborough United, and Leeds United. He returned to Brighton and won the club’s Player of the Year award in 2020–21.
In July 2021, White transferred to Arsenal for a reported £50 million, becoming the club’s most expensive defender. In April 2023, White scored a goal to help Arsenal secure a 4-1 home victory over Leeds United and extend their league winning streak to seven consecutive matches.
Piero Hincapié Religion
Piero Hincapié is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who is a devout Christian. He has a tattoo on his neck that reads “God is love.”
Piero Martín Hincapié Reyna plays as a centre-back or left-back for Arsenal and the Ecuador national team. He previously played for Independiente del Valle, Talleres, and Bayer Leverkusen. In the 2023-24 season, Hincapié won the club’s first-ever Bundesliga title, a DFB-Pokal champion, and was a UEFA Europa League runner-up with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. In September 2025, Hincapié joined Arsenal on a season-long loan with an option to buy, initially reported as being worth £45 million. He scored his first goal for Arsenal on 18 February 2026 and won the Premier League title in his debut season.
Gabriel Magalhães Religion
Gabriel Magalhães is a Brazilian professional footballer who is a practicing Christian.
Gabriel dos Santos Magalhães, also known mononymously as Gabriel, was born in the Pirituba District of São Paulo to Brazilian parents Marcelo and Patricia Magalhães. Gabriel began his career at the Brazilian club Avaí, being promoted to the first team in early 2016. In January 2017, he transferred to Lille, initially on loan back to Avaí before being loaned to Ligue 1 side Troyes in the 2017–18 season. Later that season, he was loaned to Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb before making a return to Lille to help secure a second-place finish in Ligue 1, which qualified them for the UEFA Champions League.
In September 2020, Gabriel joined Arsenal for a transfer fee of €26 million. He made his debut and scored his first goal just 11 days later in a 3–2 win over Fulham. At the time of writing this, Gabriel has made 193 Premier League appearances for the club and scored 20 goals. He helped Arsenal win the 2025-26 Premier League title.
Gabriel and his partner, Gabrielle Figueiredo, joyfully welcomed their first child in March 2022.
Bukayo Saka Religion
Bukayo Saka is an English professional footballer who is a devout Christian and has spoken about how his faith in God guides his life and football career.
Bukayo Saka was born on 5 September 2001 in Ealing, London, to Yoruba Nigerian immigrant parents Yomi and Adenike. He has an older sibling. Saka was educated at Edward Betham Church of England Primary School and Greenford High School. At club level, Saka began his career at the Arsenal Academy and was promoted to the first team in 2018. During the 2019-20 season, he helped Arsenal win the FA Cup. In the 2023-24 season, Saka set an Arsenal club record with his 83rd consecutive Premier League appearance. A little over a month after that, he scored his first Champions League goal. In December, Saka made his 200th appearance for Arsenal, and in February 2024, he became the youngest Arsenal player to surpass 50 goals in the Premier League. In the 2025-26 season, he helped Arsenal win the Premier League title.
Bukayo Saka is the highest-paid player at Arsenal, with a weekly base salary of £300,000 per week or £15.6 million per year. Away from football, Saka resides in a £2.3 million four-bedroom home in Hertfordshire, which he purchased around 2021 after leaving the family house in Greenford.
Martin Odegaard Religion
Martin Odegaard is a Norwegian professional footballer who is a Protestant Christian. He grew up in a traditional Christian household in Norway.
Martin Ødegaard was born on 17 December 1998, in Drammen, Buskerud, to parents Hans Erik Ødegaard, a former professional footballer, and Lene Cecilie. He began his senior club career at age 15 in 2014, playing for Strømsgodset. In January 2015, he joined Real Madrid before a subsequent loan spell at Heerenveen, Vitesse, and La Liga club Real Sociedad. Following a six-month loan with Arsenal in the second half of the 2020–21 season, he signed for them on a permanent deal in August 2021. The following year, in July 2022, Ødegaard was appointed captain of the Arsenal men’s first team, later winning the Premier League with the club in the 2025–26 season.
On the international stage, Ødegaard captained Norway to qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ending the nation’s 28-year absence from the tournament since 1998.
Eberechi Eze Religion
Eberechi Eze is an English professional footballer who is a practicing Christian. He grew up in a Christian household and regularly attended church from a young age.
Eberechi Oluchi “Ebere” Eze plays as an attacking midfielder for Arsenal and the England national team. Eze spends time with several English academies before making his professional debut with Queens Park Rangers in 2017. In August 2020, Eze was signed by Premier League club Crystal Palace, and he subsequently helped the club win the 2025 FA Cup. In August 2025, Eze completed a move to boyhood club Arsenal for an initial fee of £60 million and made his debut for the club in the same month. He won the Premier League title and reached the 2026 UEFA Champions League final in his first season.
On May 4, 2025, it was reported that Eze won the championship in a Chess Celebrity Tournament and received a prize of $20,000. In addition, Eze is a keen chess player, having been taught the game by former Crystal Palace teammate Michael Olise.
Jurriën Timber Religion
Jurriën Timber is a Dutch professional footballer who is a devout Christian. Fans affectionately call him “Pastor Timber” because he regularly shares Bible verses on social media before his matches.
Jurriën David Norman Timber was born on June 17, 2001, in Utrecht, the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He joined the Ajax youth academy as a child and was promoted to the first team in 2020. With Ajax, he won two Eredivisie league titles and one KNVB Cup and was named Eredivisie Player of the Year and Talent of the Year for 2021–22.
In July 2023, Timber joined Arsenal for a fee of €40 million. His Premier League debut against Nottingham Forest on 12 August 2023 ended in an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which sidelined him for most of the 2023–24 season, during which he made only three appearances but won the Community Shield. In May 2025, he underwent ankle surgery, which caused him to miss the end of that season.
Timber and his twin brother Quinten Timber are both professional footballers. He is of Curaçaoan descent. Their mother, Marilyn Timber, and father are both from the island of Curaçao, which is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Viktor Gyökeres Religion
Viktor Gyökeres is a Swedish professional footballer who has not shared any public information about his personal religious beliefs.
Viktor Einar Gyökeres plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Sweden national team. He began his career in Stockholm with youth clubs IFK Aspudden-Tellus and IF Brommapojkarna before moving to England to join Brighton in 2018. He subsequently had a loan spell with St. Pauli and Swansea City, followed by a permanent transfer to Coventry City in 2021.
In July 2023, Gyökeres joined Sporting CP, where he became a key figure in winning back-to-back Primeira Liga titles in 2023–24 and 2024–25, along with the Taça de Portugal in 2025. He was the league’s top scorer in both seasons with 29 and 39 goals. In July 2025, he signed a €73.5 million contract with Arsenal. He made his debut against Manchester United and scored his first goal for the club against Leeds United six days later. He won the Premier League title in his first season as the club’s top scorer.
Christos Tzolis Religion
Christos Tzolis is a Greek professional footballer who is a Greek Orthodox Christian. He comes from the cultural and traditional background of the Greek Orthodox Church.
Christos Tzolis plays the position of a left winger for Arsenal and the Greece national team. He began his professional career with PAOK and later moved to Norwich City in the Premier League in 2021. He then had a loan spell with Twente and Fortuna Düsseldorf. After joining Club Brugge in 2025, he won the Belgian Cup with the team. In July 2026, Tzolis signed a £34 million contract with Arsenal. A month later, on 16 August, he provided two assists on his debut in a 3–0 win over Manchester City in the FA Community Shield.
Noni Madueke Religion
Noni Madueke is an English professional footballer who is a practicing Christian.
Noni Madueke was born on March 10, 2002, in Barnet, a suburb in North London, and is of Igbo descent. After playing youth football with Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur, Madueke began his professional career with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven. In January 2023, Madueke returned to England and signed for Chelsea in a £29 million deal. He was part of the Chelsea squad that won the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League title. In July 2025, Arsenal acquired him for an initial £48.5 million, and he subsequently won the Premier League title in his first season.
Mikel Merino Religion
Mikel Merino is a Spanish professional footballer who is culturally and regionally tied to Catholic traditions, though he has not explicitly defined his personal religious beliefs in detail.
Mikel Merino Zazón was born on 22 June 1996 in Pamplona, Reino de España. His father, Ángel Merino, is a former professional footballer. Merino began his youth career at Osasuna, making his senior debut for the club in the Segunda División in 2014. He had short spells at Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United before signing for Real Sociedad in 2018. He won the 2019-20 Copa del Rey with the team. In August 2024, he joined Arsenal, winning the Premier League in his second season.
On the international stage, Merino has won three major trophies with the Spain senior national team, including the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League, the 2024 UEFA European Championship, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Merino’s mother, Maite Zazón, is a former basketball player who retired early from her athletic career after marriage. In addition, Merino married his partner, Lola, in 2024, and the couple welcomed their first child in May 2026.
Kai Havertz Religion
Kai Havertz is a German professional footballer who is a Christian, though he generally keeps his personal and religious beliefs private.
Kai Lukas Havertz was born on 11 June 1999 in Aachen, Germany, to parents Ralf and Anne. Havertz graduated from Bayer Leverkusen’s youth academy in 2016 and made his senior debut with the club in the same year. For the 2018-19 season, Havertz was selected for the Bundesliga Team of the Season. In 2020, Havertz signed for Chelsea for a transfer worth €73.4 million. During his three-year stint at Chelsea, he scored the winning goal in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final against Manchester City and the decisive goal in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup final.
Havertz joined Arsenal on 28 June 2023 for £65 million, signing a five-year contract until 2028. In his debut season, he recorded 13 goals and 7 assists in the Premier League and earned Arsenal Player of the Month awards for November 2023 and April 2024. He won the Premier League champion title with Arsenal in his third season.
Riccardo Calafiori Religion
Riccardo Calafiori is an Italian professional footballer who is a Christian and a Catholic.
Riccardo Calafiori was born on 19 May 2002 in Rome, Italy, to Italian parents Massimo and Tiziana Calafiori. He is a product of the AS Roma youth academy. In 2022, he joined the Swiss Super League club Basel before moving to Bologna the next year. Arsenal then signed him in 2024 for a transfer worth £33.6 million. In August 2025, he was voted Arsenal’s Player of the Month. In the 2025-26 season, Calafiori won the Premier League title and the FA Community Shield with Arsenal.
Martín Zubimendi Religion
Martín Zubimendi is a Spanish professional footballer who has not shared any public information about his personal religious beliefs.
Martín Zubimendi Ibáñez plays as a defensive midfielder for Arsenal and the Spain national team. He previously played for Real Sociedad, winning the 2019–20 Copa del Rey with the club. He spent six seasons with Real Sociedad before his €65 million moved to Arsenal in July 2025.
Bruno Guimarães Religion
Bruno Guimarães is a Brazilian professional footballer who is a devout Christian of the Catholic faith.
Bruno Guimarães was born in the São Cristóvão neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. His father was a taxi driver. He began his professional career with Athletico Paranaense before moving to Lyon in 2020. Guimarães joined Newcastle United in January 2022 for €41.5 million. The following year, in February 2023, he helped Newcastle United finish as runners-up in the EFL Cup. In March 2025, he helped Newcastle United win the EFL Cup and was subsequently selected for the 2025 South American Team of the Year.
In August 2026, Guimarães signed a four-year contract with Arsenal for a reported transfer fee of around £75 million. That same month, he made his debut for the club in a 3–0 victory over Manchester City in the 2026 FA Community Shield.
Guimarães and his partner, Ana Lidia Martins, have two children together. In addition to his native Portuguese, Guimarães also speaks French, English, and Spanish.
Declan Rice Religion
Declan Rice is an English professional footballer who is a practicing Christian of Catholic background.
Declan Rice was born on January 14, 1999, in Kingston town in southwest London, England, to Irish parents. Rice was released by Chelsea’s youth academy at age 14 before joining West Ham United. In July 2017, Rice was promoted to the first team and subsequently led the team to their first major trophy in over four decades by winning the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League. In July 2023, Rice joined Arsenal for a club record fee of £100 million, making him the joint-most-expensive English player in history. In the 2023-24 season, he was selected for the PFA Premier League Team of the Year. He helped Arsenal win their first Premier League title in 22 years during the 2025–26 season.
Rice’s father is named Sean Rice, and his mother is named Teresa Rice. Rice is the youngest child in the family, and he has two older brothers.
Myles Lewis-Skelly Religion
Myles Lewis-Skelly is an English professional footballer who is a practicing Christian.
Myles Anthony Lewis-Skelly plays as a midfielder or left-back for Arsenal and the England national team. He is a product of the Arsenal Academy. In September 2024, he made his senior debut for Arsenal in a Premier League match against Manchester City. In December 2024, at the age of 18 years and 76 days, he became Arsenal’s youngest starter in the UEFA Champions League in nearly 13 years. He scored his first senior goal for the club on 2 February 2025 in a 5-1 victory over Manchester City, while also providing two assists in Champions League knockout rounds. He was part of the squad that won the Premier League during the 2025–26 season.
