After overcoming a controversial move from Chelsea, winning over Arsenal fans, recovering from a two-month injury layoff, and scoring against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, that declaration was Noni Madueke’s immediate response to TNT Sports.
The 23-year-old is part of a sizeable group of Christian players at Arsenal. Some have become renowned for loudly and proudly speaking about their faith. Whether in interviews, on social media, or via their celebrations on the pitch after scoring, the ‘Bible Brothers’ of the Arsenal men’s team are not hiding their belief and love of God.
“It’s a good thing,” Madueke told the Premier League this month. “It’s fantastic that we have a squad that is not ashamed of that. We believe it gives us such a massive boost when we go on to the pitch that we’re not alone.
“We believe that we have God fighting for us. It’s fantastic. It just brings us closer together. We’re so close, but I feel like (we’re closer) because of it, and long may it continue for sure.
“Before every game, we pray together for a few minutes and then also at the hotel, for a few minutes, studying the bible and just praying. Not even just always praying, just seeing if we’re all good, checking on each other, stuff like that. It’s top. There are probably 10 of us, so a few of us contribute. Maybe (we pick) a scripture, we talk about it, read about it, see what everyone is going through, how we can help, pray for each other, stuff like that, so it’s really good.”
As Madueke says, he is not alone among members of the Arsenal squad who believe in God.
Jurrien Timber — who himself had to overcome a substantial setback after he missed the majority of his debut season in north London due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in his right knee — is also a devout Christian and has made a habit of posting verses from the bible on X before games.
Nicknamed ‘Pastor Timber’ by Arsenal fans, The Athletic asked the full-back about his faith in a press conference prior to Arsenal’s game against Bayern.
“For me, it is a way of life (my faith),” he said. “I try to live by it. We pray before games because we have a few Christians in our team, which is amazing. It brings unity and understanding because you kind of live the same life.”
When asked about how he decides the verses to posts, Timber said: “I don’t have a Bible verse lined up for every game. It is very different every game. They just come to me as I’m speaking to team-mates or to people around me, like my family and friends. I just come up with one that fits for that day or for the game by myself. Just trying to bring the world into my thoughts.
“The other day, I almost forgot, and I got a lot of messages asking, ‘Where is the Bible verse?’ It is quite fun.”
Timber also said he liked the ‘Bible brothers’ nickname that Arsenal fans have given him and his regular partner on Arsenal’s right-hand side, Bukayo Saka.
As with Timber, the England international does not shy away from his faith. The 24-year-old has embraced the moniker ‘God’s Child’ on his Instagram profiles for several years and regularly celebrates goals by pointing to the sky.
Saka told GQ in 2022 that the Bible he received as a gift from his father is one of his most essential and precious belongings.
“I try to read it every night before I go to bed,” Saka said. “I’ve learnt a lot from it, and I’m still reading it all the time. It is important for me. Religion is a big part of my life. I’m a strong believer in God. Reading this Bible all the time helps me to learn more and more about God. I normally try to memorise the messages and what they mean and try to take them into my life.”
Former Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny opened the club’s first multi-faith prayer room at the Emirates in March 2024. The Egypt international, a devout Muslim, said on the opening of the facility: “Having this space to contemplate and pray will change the lives of future Arsenal players. I am really grateful to the staff and everyone involved in making this happen.”
Arsenal are supportive of their squad members’ beliefs and interests, whether it be Christians such as Madueke, Timber, and Saka, Muslim players such as William Saliba, or players that do not practice a religion.
In August, The Athletic revealed Eberechi Eze lobbied England team-mates at Arsenal (such as Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly) to push the club for his arrival. The welcoming environment the club has created and the multicultural make-up of the squad will have played a big component in helping the 27-year-old settle.
Eze is one of the Premier League’s most publicly devoted Christians. Like Saka, he also points to the sky and gives thanks after scoring a goal (as he did after scoring the winning goal in the 2025 FA Cup final for Crystal Palace against Manchester City), and his signature move after scoring is making a cross with his two index fingers.
Born in south London, Eze said his faith, instilled into him by his parents, was the main component that helped him overcome the pain of being released by Arsenal at the age of 13, telling Sky Sports: “One thing I will never forget is how faithful my parents were. I’ve learned from a young age to trust God’s plan and trust that God will make this thing work.
“It will work its way out. Other trials and teams came. There were rejections, but the character building that came from my faith is immensely powerful. My family do a great job of keeping me grounded and reminding me of my relationship with God.”
Eze echoed that sentiment again in 2024, telling the Men in Blazers podcast: “I’ve learned in myself that staying rooted in Christ throughout all the different phases is the most important thing because it allows you to see things through the right lens. Things change. Things go up and go down. You never know what is around the corner. The one solid rock and foundation is Christ, and having that allows me to deal with whatever circumstance I’m in.”
After coming close to joining Tottenham Hotspur, a phone call to Mikel Arteta spawned a whirlwind couple of hours that resulted in the England international rejoining his boyhood team.
Eze told Ian Wright on the Arsenal media channels: “I remember the day I got released (from Arsenal), my mum said a prayer. She was praying that this reverse would happen. So for me, this (signing for Arsenal) is a realisation of a prayer that we prayed 20-odd years ago.
“This is deeper than anyone can understand. I can see God’s hand in it, so I know it’s meant to be and I can only thank God for the opportunity to be here and to be playing. To be recognised in this manner. I just feel so blessed.”
Much has been said about this Arsenal team. Their squad depth, their set-piece prowess, or their clean-sheet-accumulating defence. But there is also a camaraderie that has been created. Madueke, Timber, Saka, Eze, Gabriel, Gabriel Jesus, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera and any of the other Christians within the group who may be a bit more private about their faith, exemplify that.
Arteta said at a press conference last month: “They (the Arsenal squad) do (utilise religion), and I love it because I think that connects them more. The fact that some of them have the same beliefs or strong beliefs about that helps their well-being and mental side. I think it’s phenomenal.”
Madueke posted a picture in November with his Arsenal team-mates on Instagram with the caption “Thank you God for this brotherhood that you’ve created.”
The winger told the Premier League that although he experienced having members of a squad follow the same religion “a little bit” at former clubs PSV and Chelsea, “This is definitely the closest I’ve felt in terms of God and our team. It’s a real blessing.”
In 2015, John Bostock, formerly of Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur, founded Ballers in God, a group aimed at connecting, encouraging, and discipling professional football players and fans in their faith.
“What’s happening at Arsenal is special,” he tells The Athletic. “I’ve seen firsthand how faith can become a genuine bond in the changing room. Players go from being team-mates to being brothers.
“They pray together, study the Bible together, and hold each other accountable. That level of unity naturally flows into their football. When you have men who are growing in understanding grace, humility, sacrifice, and purpose, it changes how they live, not just how they play.”
Arsenal’s Bible Brothers, the rest of the squad and fans will be hoping that blessing propels them to their first Premier League title in 21 years.