Video footage has emerged of footballer Raheem Stirling getting baptised. Tim Bechervaise takes a look at the faith of the new Arsenal winger, the latest Premiership star to go public about following Jesus
It was an eventful summer for Raheem Sterling – in more ways than one.
The 29-year-old was one of the surprising omissions from England’s Euro 2024 squad and, soon after the new Premier League kicked off in August, he became the centre of one of the biggest transfer stories of the summer. Deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea, he made a deadline-day move to London rivals Arsenal, where he joins fellow Christian football pro, Bukayo Saka.
But there was something else that happened to Sterling, something arguably far more significant: he got baptised. It’s believed to have happened over the summer, possibly in Jamaica where Sterling was born, but footage of the event has only begun circulating online recently.
A futile chase
Giving his testimony at the church, Sterling said: “I’ve always had a dream to get my mum and my family out of a certain predicament, and I always chased that dream. But along the line, like anything, you’re creating habits, you’re creating an ego, chasing what I believe I wanted, which is not really what I wanted.
“As I’m growing, I’m maturing. I could see that I was chasing my ego. I was seeing I was chasing what is really not for me. I was going into different environments, shoots, I was going to certain places and doing certain things and I’m coming to the realisation that I don’t believe this is what I want. I don’t believe this is who I truly am.”
Dressed in a white t-shirt and trousers, he got into a tank of water and said: “I vow O Lord, I offer me until death.”
An unshakeable faith
The player has long been associated with Christianity. His mum is a devout Christian and he grew up going to church. “[My faith is] massive to me,” he told Alistair Campbell in 2019. “I always give thanks for my life, always give thanks for my family’s life and I’m just really grateful for the position I’m in.” He added that he has “no doubts” that God exists.
In Pep’s City (BackPage and Polaris), a biography of Pep Guardiola, the much-feted manager who coached Sterling at Manchester City, there is a powerful observation of of how this faith played out: “In the midst of it [the dressing room], one man sits reading the Bible: the 24-year-old Londoner, Raheem Sterling.” It adds: “Sterling has an unshakable faith in God and in the fact that his own talent is God-given.”
Referencing Sterling’s sometimes-difficult relationship with the media – which, in places, has presented a mistaken portrayal of his character – his then-teammate Kevin De Bruyne said: “This is the real truth: Raheem is one of the nicest, most humble guys I’ve met in football.” This is reflected in the Raheem Sterling Foundation, which he set up to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds break down barriers to realising their true potential. In 2019, he arranged for 500 children from his old school in Brent, where Wembley Stadium is located, to attend the FA Cup semi-final.
Caution or celebration?
It might be tempting to view the depth of Sterling’s faith with a hint of caution, given that he’s unmarried but has children with his fiancé, Paige Milian, and another child from a previous relationship. While personal lives are sometimes the barometer by which we understand people’s faith, we’re only privy to so much when it comes to those in the public eye. Clearly Sterling is on a journey with God that, as his recent baptism and the revealing testimony he shared suggests, is growing stronger. Above all, this is to be celebrated.
Beyond Sterling, there is so much to celebrate at what God is doing in the high-profile world of football. Fellow Arsenal player, Bukayo Saka, is well know for his Christian faith, as are many Premiership players and international teammates.
In many other sports, there are also increasing numbers of elite performers either coming to faith or feeling more confident in expressing it publicly, as we saw at the Olympics recently in Paris. And that’s only what we know, because the Holy Spirit is up to far more away from the public gaze. Let’s praise God for this and pray for more!
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