Christian Premier League star Lucas Moura has given glory to God following his match-winning hat-trick in last night’s Champions League semi-final.
Tottenham Hotspur were trailing 3-0 on aggregate against Ajax at half-time in the second-leg, but Moura netted twice in five minutes to give Spurs hope, and his last-gasp winner sealed the win.
Speaking after the game, Moura said: “It’s difficult to explain what I am feeling. God is wonderful. I always say that he surprises me.”
‘Glory to God’
The Brazilian forward also took to social media, posting to his near 3.4 million Facebook followers pictures of the match with the caption “God’s plan! Glória A Deus! Glory to God!”
He also posted a picture of himself on his knees to his combined seven million Twitter and Instagram followers, captioned “’For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ Luke 1:37”.
Moura regularly posts Bible verses on social media, with his Twitter bio proclaiming “JESUS is the way, and the truth, and the life. João/John 14:6”.
‘Gospel of Christ’
The 26-year-old grew up in a Roman Catholic household in Brazil, but did not practice or attend mass.
“I fell in love with the gospel of Christ”Lucas Moura
It was only in 2013 when he moved to France to play for Paris Saint-Germain, far from home and encountering difficulties, that he began to take interest in what evangelical Christians were telling him about the Bible.
In an interview with Christian sports website Cross the Line, Moura said: “I started to read the Bible and started to grasp God’s love for me. From there on, it was very fast and I began to understand the message and I fell in love with reading the Bible and I fell in love with the gospel of Christ”.
He added: “I believe that God has something for me in football and I pray that I can encourage and influence some people along the way throughout my journey.”