The 2026–27 season is the 125th season in the history of Brighton & Hove Albion and their tenth consecutive season in the Premier League. In addition to the domestic league, the club also participates in the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, and the UEFA Conference League, the latter being their first season back in a European competition since the 2023–24 campaign.
Among the club’s achievements, Brighton & Hove Albion have won the Southern League title once, in 1909–10. That year, they also won the FA Charity Shield. Brighton’s highest-ever Premier League finish was sixth place in 2022–23, which qualified them for the UEFA Europa League.
Brighton & Hove Albion players come from diverse religious backgrounds, with individual squad members openly practicing faiths such as Christianity and Islam. Veteran club captain Lewis Dunk and forward Georginio Rutter are notable figures who practice the Christian faith, while squad members like Yasin Ayari, Ibrahim Osman, and Ferdi Kadıoğlu are well-known practicing Muslims.
Read below all the players in Brighton & Hove Albion and their religious beliefs. Please contact us if you see any mistakes or errors regarding a specific player’s religion.
Table of Contents
Bart Verbruggen Religion
Bart Verbruggen is a Dutch professional footballer who is widely recognized as an openly religious Christian. He is identified within evangelical Christian circles.
Verbruggen joined Anderlecht in 2020 from N.A.C. Breda. For the 2022-23 season, he was named RSC Anderlecht’s Player of the Season. In July 2023, Verbruggen signed a five-year contract with Brighton & Hove Albion for a reported €19 million, becoming the club’s most expensive goalkeeper signing at the time.
In the 2023–24 season, Verbruggen recorded 21 appearances in the Premier League, alongside outings in the FA Cup and UEFA Europa League, for a total of 27 matches across all competitions. He kept seven clean sheets during the campaign and achieved a save percentage of 72.5%. In the 2025–26 season, Verbruggen made 38 Premier League appearances, conceding 46 goals and keeping 10 clean sheets.
Olivier Boscagli Religion
Olivier Boscagli is a French professional footballer who has not publicly disclosed his religious beliefs.
Boscagli came through the OGC Nice youth academy and transferred to Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven in 2019. In six seasons at the club, he made over 200 appearances and won two Eredivisie titles, two Johan Cruyff Shields and a KNVB Cup. He spent the 2017–18 season on loan at Nîmes Olympique in Ligue 2, where he contributed to their promotion to the top flight as runners-up.
In July 2025, following the expiration of his PSV contract, Boscagli signed a five-year deal with Brighton & Hove Albion on a free transfer. He scored on his Albion debut, opening the scoring with a deflected strike in an eventual 6–0 away win over Oxford United in the EFL Cup.
Chema Andrés Religion
Chema Andrés is a Spanish professional footballer who has not publicly shared details about his specific religious beliefs.
Chema started his career at the Levante UD youth academy in Spain and joined the youth ranks of Real Madrid in 2018. In January 2025, he made his first-team debut for Real Madrid in a Copa del Rey match and subsequently made his league debut in La Liga. In July 2025, Chema joined German Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart for €3 million.
On 1 September 2026, Chema signed for Brighton & Hove Albion on a five-year contract. The transfer fee is reported to be up to €23 million, including add-ons. On September 19, 2026, he made his first Premier League start and scored a towering header in a statement 3-0 victory against Arsenal, earning himself a spot in Alan Shearer’s Premier League Team of the Week.
Promise David Religion
Promise David is a Canadian professional soccer player who is a practicing Christian. He has spoken openly about his Christian faith and background, mentioning that he first began playing organized football through his local church league in Canada.
David plays as a striker for Brighton & Hove Albion, on loan from Belgian Pro League club Union Saint-Gilloise, and the Canada national team. He previously played for football clubs Trnje, Valletta, Sirens, and Nõmme Kalju.
On 18 August 2026, David joined Brighton & Hove Albion on a season-long loan, with an obligation to buy for a proposed fee of £22 million if certain undisclosed criteria were met.
Maxim De Cuyper Religion
Maxim De Cuyper is a Belgian professional footballer who has not spoken about his faith or religious background in any public interviews.
De Cuyper began his career at the youth academy of Club Brugge. In January 2020, he was promoted to Club Brugge’s first team. With the club, he won the 2019-20 Belgian First Division A title, successfully defended the league championship in the 2020-21 season, and also won the Belgian Super Cup. In August 2021, he joined Westerlo on loan for the 2021–22 season, where he played a key role in their promotion to the Belgian Pro League by winning the Challenger Pro League in 2022.
On 5 July 2025, De Cuyper transferred to Brighton & Hove Albion for an undisclosed transfer fee, signing a five-year contract until June 2030. On 16 August, he made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw against Fulham in the league.
Yasin Ayari Religion
Yasin Ayari is a Swedish professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim. He has openly expressed his faith during matches, such as performing sujood after scoring goals.
Ayari began playing football with the youth academy of Råsunda at the age of 6, before moving to AIK around the age of 8. In January 2023, Ayari signed a contract with Brighton & Hove Albion until June 2027. During the 2023-24 season, he was loaned to EFL Championship clubs Coventry City and Blackburn Rovers later that season to gain experience. He returned to Brighton at the conclusion of the loan in late May 2024.
Charalampos Kostoulas Religion
Charalampos Kostoulas is a Greek professional footballer who has not publicly specified his exact religious beliefs, though he has openly expressed general faith in God during his football career.
Kostoulas came through the Olympiacos youth academy. In the 2024/25 season, he broke into the senior squad, contributing seven goals and one assist in 30 appearances across domestic and European competitions, helping secure a Greek league and cup double.
On 12 June 2025, Kostoulas signed for Brighton & Hove Albion on a five-year deal for a fee of €35 million. Later that year, on 25 October, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–2 away defeat against Manchester United.
Lewis Dunk Religion
Lewis Dunk is an English professional footballer who identifies as a practicing Christian.
Dunk plays as a centre-back for and captains Brighton & Hove Albion. He joined the Brighton & Hove Albion Academy in 2003 and made his professional debut on 1 May 2010. In the 2010-11 season, he helped the club win the EFL League One title and gain promotion to the EFL Championship. In October 2013, he joined Bristol City on loan and returned to his parent club in November when the loan ended. In the 2016-17 season, he played a pivotal role in Brighton’s promotion to the Premier League as the Championship runners-up.
Appointed captain in 2019, Dunk led the club to their maiden European qualification in the 2022–23 season, as they qualified for the following season’s UEFA Europa League. Among his career achievements, Dunk has been selected in the PFA Championship Team of the Year and has been named Club Player of the Season three times. In the Premier League alone, he has amassed 473 appearances and 28 goals as of September 2026.
Diego Gómez Religion
Diego Gómez is a Paraguayan professional footballer who is a practicing Christian. He was seen praying as he entered the pitch versus Manchester United.
Gómez emerged from the youth academy of Club Libertad. After being promoted to the first team in 2022, he helped the club win the Paraguayan Primera División title three times. In July 2023, he signed with Major League Soccer side Inter Miami for an undisclosed fee. In August of the same year, he scored in the penalty shoot-out of the Leagues Cup final, helping the team win the tournament for the first time.
On 10 December 2024, Gómez agreed to join Brighton & Hove Albion on 1 January 2025 until 30 June 2030, in a deal believed to be worth about £14 million. On 23 September 2025, he scored four goals in Brighton’s 6–0 away win against Barnsley in the third round of the EFL Cup. For the 2025-26 season, he won the EFL Cup Golden Boot.
Ibrahim Osman Religion
Ibrahim Osman is a Ghanaian professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim.
Osman plays as a winger for Brighton & Hove Albion and the Ghana national team. He joined Danish side Nordsjælland in early 2023 from the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana. In February 2024, Brighton & Hove Albion agreed to a deal worth approximately £16 million to sign Osman from Nordsjælland, with the transfer finalized on 1 July 2024 on a five-year contract until June 2029. Following his arrival, he was loaned to Eredivisie club Feyenoord for the 2024–25 season, followed by Ligue 1 club Auxerre on 8 July 2025 on a one-year loan deal.
In January 2026, Osman was recalled from his loan at Auxerre and signed on loan for the remainder of the season at EFL Championship club Birmingham City. Osman returned to parent club Brighton & Hove Albion following the conclusion of his loan spell at Birmingham City at the end of the 2025–26 season.
Ferdi Kadioglu Religion
Ferdi Kadioglu is a Turkish professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim.
Kadıoğlu began his professional career at NEC in 2016, where he played in two seasons for the team, before moving to Fenerbahçe in 2018, spending six years in Süper Lig. During his time at Fenerbahçe, he contributed to winning the Turkish Cup in 2023.
In August 2024, Kadıoğlu joined Brighton & Hove Albion from Fenerbahçe for an initial £25 million plus £4.2 million in add-ons, signing a four-year contract. He made his Premier League debut in September 2024 and scored his first Premier League goal for the club in November 2024 against Liverpool. On 19 May 2026, Kadıoğlu was named the Brighton and Hove Albion player of the year for the 2025–26 season.
Pascal Groß Religion
Pascal Groß is a German professional footballer who keeps his religious views completely confidential, and he has not discussed them in public interviews.
Groß began his career at the youth academy of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. In January 2011, he was loaned to FC Ingolstadt 04, joining permanently the following year, where he played 165 matches and contributed to their 2. Bundesliga title win and promotion to the Bundesliga in 2014/15.
In May 2017, Brighton & Hove Albion signed Groß for a fee of £3 million, becoming the Seagulls’ first signing in the Premier League era and their longest-serving player. He was named Brighton’s Player of the Season for 2017–18 and 2023–24 and captained their first European match in the UEFA Europa League against AEK Athens in 2023. In August 2024, Groß joined Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund for a reported €7 million and recorded four assists in a single match against Union Berlin, becoming only the third player in Bundesliga history to achieve this feat.
On 2 January 2026, Groß rejoined Brighton, signing a deal until June 2027. In the same month he would score his first goal since returning to the club in a 1–1 draw against Everton.
Georginio Rutter Religion
Georginio Rutter is a French professional footballer who is a practicing Christian. He has a “Trust God” tattoo with a dove symbol on his outer forearm.
In 2018, Rutter signed a professional contract with Stade Rennais, becoming the youngest professional player in the club’s history. In December 2020, he scored in the UEFA Champions League, becoming the youngest French player to score in the competition since Kylian Mbappé. In February 2021, Rutter signed for Bundesliga side TSG Hoffenheim, where he scored on his league debut in a 4–0 win against SV Werder Bremen later that month. In January 2023, he signed for Premier League side Leeds United for a club-record €40.5 million, becoming the most expensive signing in Leeds’ history at the time.
On 19 August 2024, Rutter transferred to Brighton & Hove Albion for a club-record €46.7 million, signing a contract until June 2029. He made his debut for the club on 24 August in a 2–1 home league win over Manchester United and scored his first Albion goal on 28 September that year.
Michael Svoboda Religion
Michael Svoboda is an Austrian professional footballer who is a devout Christian. In media interviews, he has shared that his faith gives him significant personal strength and that he takes time to pray both before and after every match to express his gratitude.
Svoboda plays as a centre-back for Brighton & Hove Albion and the Austria national team. He started his career at SV Schwechat before joining FC Stadlau in 2016. In 2018, Svoboda joined WSG Tirol, where he contributed to the team’s promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga as champions of the 2. Liga in the 2018–19 season. He then signed a three-year contract with Serie B club Venezia in 2020.
On 2 July 2026, Svoboda joined Brighton & Hove Albion on a four-year contract until June 2030. The club activated his €5 million release clause to secure his transfer from Italian side Venezia. After overcoming a brief injury spell early in the summer, Svoboda made his competitive Brighton debut off the bench during the 3–0 Premier League victory over Arsenal on September 19, 2026.
Malick Yalcouyé Religion
Malick Yalcouyé is an Ivorian professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim.
Yalcouyé plays as a midfielder for Brighton & Hove Albion and the Ivory Coast national team. He previously played for football clubs ASEC Mimosas and IFK Göteborg, and had a loan spells at Sturm Graz and Swansea City.
On 12 July 2024, Yalcouyé joined Brighton & Hove Albion, signing a contract until June 2029. Following his return to Brighton, Yalcouyé scored his first Premier League goal in a 4–3 away defeat against Chelsea on 30 August 2026.
Luka Vuskovic Religion
Luka Vuskovic is a Croatian professional footballer who has not publicly discussed personal details about his religious beliefs.
Vuskovic plays as a centre-back for Brighton & Hove Albion and the Croatia national team. Previously, he played for several European clubs, including Hajduk Split, Radomiak Radom, Westerlo, Tottenham Hotspur, and Hamburger SV.
On 14 July 2026, Brighton & Hove Albion announced the signing of Vušković on a five-year contract for a reported club-record fee of £46 million. He became the most expensive signing in Brighton’s history, surpassing the £40 million paid for Georginio Rutter. Vuskovic scores a goal on his home debut against Leeds United and puts in a dominant performance in a 3–0 victory over Arsenal on 19 September.
