Muslim Players

[Bilo90]

which players do you knwo are muslim? i was just wonderng cuz its interesting for me atleast.. i knw there are a few french players but i dont know exactly who. here in the newspaper it said gallas, zidane, henry, and ribery... just wanted ask who you guys know.. i also know van persie

 

[Krypton X]

I keep hearing that like half the French team are Muslim but I seldom take such comments seriously because most of it is just rumours and hearsay anyway. As far as France goes Zidane would be the most obvious of the bunch but i doubt that he's much into religion or if he practices his religion at all. Some others like Ribery and Van Persie from Holland have married Moroccan girls and supposedly converted to Islam. While Nicolas Anelka was drawn to the religion during his time playing for a club in Saudi Arabia, and he (is said to have) influenced Thierry Henry as well.
Like I said I don't know how much truth there is to all that but you can take from it what you will.

Here's a brief list of Muslim Footballers and Managers which i got from Wikipedia:

Zinedine Zidane
Franck Ribéry
Nicolas Anelka
Philippe Troussier (French coach)
Bruno Metsu (French coach of Senegal)
Khalid Boulahrouz
Robin van Persie
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Lee Woon-Jae (South Korean Goalkeeper)
Hakan and Murat Yakin (Switzerland)
Whole Saudi team
Whole Iranian team (with the exception of Adranik Teymourian)
Whole Tunisian team (apart from Jose Clayton and Dos Santos)
Many Ghanian, Togolese, and Ivorian players
....etc... etc.

 

[justhammy]

Zidane isnt Muslim, well he WAS when he was younger, but he isnt much into religion anymore. I thought that was known.

Nicolas Anelka is Muslim, that is something im sure of. He also said it in numerous interviews. I didnt know about Gallas and Henry. I dont think its true. But its pretty interesting to see this list.
________
I-inhale

 

[TheBlueBalla]

holy sh*t. Ribery isnt too much of stretch, I guess, and Ibrahimovic still has the last name, but Robin van Persie is muslim? Sorry, but the weird and dangerous behavioral tendencies he and Zlatan have, I have trouble seeing them as practicing muslims

 

[Gerrard 17]

Many Muslim players have captured the limelight during their participation in the world football gala.

Among them is French playmaker legend and three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane.

His expected successor, midfielder Franck Ribery, has also made headlines during his country's opener against Switzerland.

Ribery, a native French revert, raised his hands and supplicated to God like a typical Muslim before the kickoff.

Among the other prominent Muslim names in the mondial are Dutch Boulahrouz Khalid and Van Persie Robin as well as Swede Ibrahimovic Zlatan.

 

[TheBlueBalla]

wow, nevermind. My small mindedness makes it hard to see past a skin color sometimes

I was pretty sure Gallas wasnt, though, somehow

 

[steeeveman]

...
Whole Iranian team
...

no, there´s one christian player in the team :andranik teymourian (armenian ancestors?)

 

[Krypton X]

no, there´s one christian player in the team :andranik teymourian (armenian ancestors?)

You're right, i forgot about him. I also forgot about Clayton and Santos on the Tunisian team.

 

[Krypton X]

Zinedine Zidane naming his 2 eldest children Enzo and Luca is a good hint that he's not much of a devout Muslim. But I don't think anyone (apart from Zidane) has the right to categorically state whether he's a Muslim or non-Muslim. His faith ought to be strictly a matter between him and his God (provided he believes in one).

 

[Elber2k3]

There are some on Germany's youth teams, like Berlin's Malik Fathi.

 

[Rocky]

Zinedine Zidane naming his 2 eldest children Enzo and Luca is a good hint that he's not much of a devout Muslim.

He should name his next kid Marco.

 

[MUforever10]

not the whole Iranian team, Adranik Teymourian is christian just to let you know.

 

[Tesla]

I hear Fred of Brazil is Muslim

 

[PSVFOREVER]

Ismail Aissati
Ibrahim Afellay
Arouna Koné

Not like it matters which religion footballers support.

 

[Krypton X]

not the whole Iranian team, Adranik Teymourian is christian just to let you know.

ok.. i just edited the list.

 

[Krypton X]

I hear Fred of Brazil is Muslim

I seriously doubt it.. some Muslims thought he was one just because of the way he knelt to the ground after he scored against Australia. But it doesn't mean anything, i've seen some South American players do the same after scoring at club level. Many Brazilian players are very commited Catholics, if you remember how they were running around pointing to sky with all the Jesus shirts when they won the '02 world cup.

 

[champdave]

Momo Sissoko from Liverpool / Mali is Muslim too

 

[rpvankasteren]

He should name his next kid Marco.

More like Dino, Michael, Gilles, or Jean, looking at the correlation between Enzo and Luca.

 

[kobashi]

i didn't know Ribery reverted to Islam. that's great news as i am a muslim myself!

i not sure about henry though. never heard about that and I am sure I have seen him with wine in his hands on certain photo's.

 

[Bobby]

Zidane describes himself as a "non-practising Muslim".

I've seen stories saying Lee Woon-Jae (South Korea keeper) and Philippe Troussier are muslims too.