An article by EWTN writes about five moments in the first week of the FIFA World Cup soccer championship tournament.

1. At a press conference prior to it’s first match against England, Croatian players Kristijan Jakic and Igor Matanovic spoke of how important their Catholic faith is to both of them. Matanovic said, “I think faith is very important in my life. When you pray to God, it’s like a feeling that someone is listening to you, and that gives me a lot of strength.” For his part, Jakic said, “We are a country in which we are Catholics and in which faith means the path in our lives. I think faith represents the entire national team. Faith simply means everything in our lives.”
2. The Curacao team made history at the World Cup both for reaching the men’s tournament for the first time and for being the smallest country, by population, to do so. Curacao is a Caribbean island nation with a population of only 150,000. Though they lost to Germany by a score of 7-1, several of the players gathered on the pitch for a team prayer. When German players Jonathan Tah and Felix Nmecha, both devout Christians, saw them, they joined their opponants in prayer. Nmecha said afterwards, “During the game, we are opponents, but after the game we are all Christians and we are brothers… In our faith, we all believe that Jesus is glorified through the game and that’s why we came together and simply prayed together.”
3. Lionel Messi, the dominant player on the Argentina national team, scored his first World Cup hat trick – scoring three goals in one game – against Algeria on June 16. Argentina only needed Messi’s scores to win, as they beat Algeria 3-0. After the game, Messi, who is a devout Catholic, told the press, “I can’t ask for more than what I received. As I’ve said many times, thank God that he has given me so much and everything that comes now is a blessing.”
4. The U.S. team members have been outspoken about their Christian faith during the first week of World Cup. U.S. defender Mark McKenzie led his team in prayer on the field after their 4-1 win over Paraguay on June 12. Another player, Christian Pulisic, gathers his teammates together for a Bible Study he calls “Bible Time.” Matt Freese, the U.S. goalkeeper spoke on the “What’s Up” podcast about the importance of his Christian faith: “Godʼs given me so many opportunities within this game and within my career. I still have a role to play in that. I still have to do my part and take that opportunity and do something with it.” Freese also spoke about his listening to Fr. Mike Schmitz “Bible in a Year” series. Freese said, “Right now I’m listening to ‘Bible in a Year’ by Father Mike Schmitz. It’s been fantastic and it kind of makes me able to — even when I’m on the road or even if itʼs a busy stretch — make sure I’m spending some time every day, hopefully every day, [with Scripture].”
5. Felix Nmecha, as mentioned above a devout Christian, made the “crown down” gesture after scoring the first goal for Germany against Curacao and, thus, Germany’s first goal in the tournament. After scoring the goal, Nmecha knelt on one knee reached up over his head as if he was taking a crown off his head, acted as if he was laying the crown on the ground, then pointed up to acknowledge his Lord. This “crown down” gesture is symbolic of recognizing that every moment, including our own victories, belong to Christ. In a postgame interview, Nmecha said, “It was an incredible blessing to score my first goal for Germany and for it to be so fast. All the glory I give to God, because he is the one who has given me this talent and the opportunity to be here living this dream.”

What a wonderful thing for so many around the world who are watching the World Cup – estimates are that as many as 5 billion are watching – are witnessing the actions and words of these young men who are speaking up and acting boldly for their faith in Christ. God bless these young men and may their witness for Christ bear fruit in this world, especially in their young fans.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.