Meet the World Cup Stars Who Love Jesus

Keylor Navas, Goalkeeper (Costa Rica)

In 2014, Costa Rica surprised the world by making it to the quarterfinals. One of the key reasons for the team’s success was Keylor Navas, the now 31-year-old goalkeeper. For Navas, who also plays for Real Madrid, his faith is one of the fundamentals of his life. “My faith is the most important thing. I believe that, the moment I had a very personal relationship with God and I really knew what his Word said, it was not about religion. It was about knowing that what the Bible tells us is what He has left us,” he said in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo. “It changed my life. It filled the void in my heart. That is why I am so grateful.”

Luis Tejada, Forward (Panama)

He’s known affectionately as the Matador, the Panamanian, and Golden Tooth. He’s the highest scorer in Panamanian soccer history (43 goals). Now retirement is finally in view. Luis Tejada’s homeland qualified for the World Cup this year, and it’s everything he ever wanted. Tejada, who currently plays for Sport Boys of the Peruvian Primera División, grew up in some of the toughest neighborhoods in Panama City and credits soccer and God with saving his life. “I don’t know what would have become of me if I hadn’t become a footballer,” he told The Guardian. “I don’t know if I would be dead, if I would have been in a gang, or if I would have ended up doing some good. For this reason, I thank God that he grabbed me in time and took control of me.”