Members of the FA Cup-winning Crystal Palace team have given glory to God following their victory at Wembley.
Several players in the squad are Christians who have been open about their faith, and this season the group has had regular prayer meetings.
The trophy is the first in the club’s history, but rather than exalting themselves, the Christians within the squad have used their time in the spotlight to point to God.
‘All glory to God’
Eberechi Eze, who scored the winning goal in the 1-0 win over Manchester City, fell to his knees and put his hands together in a sign of prayer after the ball hit the back of the net, before making a cross with his fingers and pointing to the sky.
On social media after the game, he posted several pictures from the final, saying: “God is great”, “God’s mercy” and “Only God”.
After the game, on-pitch captain Marc Guéhi posted a picture of himself lifting the trophy, writing simply: “GOD DID! THANK YOU JESUS❤️”
And Eddie Nketiah also posted a picture on Instagram, saying: “FA Cup champions! What a night, All glory to God!”
‘The cross equals love’
On the pitch following the final whistle, club captain Joel Ward, who has previously talked about how he prays before every game, lifted the trophy while wearing a wristband with Eph 3:20 written on it, alongside ‘cross = heart’ symbols.
Ephesians 3:20-21 says: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
In a video, the defender explained: “The cross equals love. It’s something that’s been ever present in my life from the moment I can remember. My faith is something that’s been a cornerstone for me, an anchor for me, and something to hold onto and cherish.”
‘God has a plan’
In the changing room after the game, Ward, who is leaving the club after 13 years at the end of the season, addressed his teammates: “Something that I hold dearly is obviously my faith, and in Jeremiah 29:11 it talks about how God has a plan and a purpose for our lives.
“And you may not believe, you may not look at scripture or you may not have that but personally, I believe that everyone here is here for a reason and we do all have a plan and a purpose in our lives.”
@ballersingod L Joel Ward the Crystal Palace captain shared Jeremiah 29:11 with his whole team in the changing rooms after winning the F.A. Cup. You’ll get goosebumps watching this 🤩👏 #BallersinGod #faith #jesus #ward #crystalpalace #footballtiktoks #christianity
French defender Maxence Lacroix is known as the ‘pastor of the team’. He has been seen bringing his Bible to training and leads Christians in the group in prayer.
In an interview, Lacroix said: “First of all, I just want to say thank you to Jesus, because today everyone saw the hand of God, everyone saw the testimony we had. I think in this team, the hand of God was on all the players. I just want to say thank you to Jesus, because this is because of him.”
@ballersingod Maxence Lacroix and Jean Philippe Mateta saying it was by the hand of God that they won the F.A. Cup. #BallersinGod #faith #jesus #christianity #footballtiktoks #lacroix #crystalpalace
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