With a 2-0 victory over New Zealand in November in a two-leg playoff, Peru earned the 32nd and final spot in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. And it marked the country’s first appearance in the world’s biggest tournament since 1982 — when not a single player on this year’s squad had been born yet.
They arrive in Russia as the No. 11-ranked team in the world, one spot behind Spain, the 2010 champions. Peru is led on offense by 34-year-old captain Paolo Guerrero, the nation’s most-capped player (88 national team appearances) and leading scorer (34 international goals).
The defense is led by another 34-year-old: Alberto Rodriguez, who boasts 74 caps. He played many of those games as a team captain, and has also played more than 15 years for professional teams in Peru, Portugal and Colombia.
However, having a successful football career is not what Rodriguez wants people to know most about him.
“As a follower of Christ, this platform makes people see not just the football player, but a person that God has made and put in this position,” Rodriguez says. “This is what God wants. The Bible says we are an open book; the world looks at what we do. I want to be a good reference, a model for young people and adults to follow, not just an athlete, but a person who follows Christ.”
Rodriguez became a follower of Christ when he was around 18 years old through a friend he played football with. His friend invited him to church, Rodriguez liked it and continued to go. Before long, he had a personal encounter with God, who transformed Rodriguez’s life and also that of his girlfriend, who is now his wife and mother of their three children.
Alberto Rodriguez (AP Photo)
“I know without God I can’t do anything. We are nothing without Him. Today as a national football player, [that] has all happened with God’s help. When Christ came into my life it was a very, very beautiful, important and amazing moment,” Rodriguez says.
Being a follower of Christ in the world of professional sports isn’t always easy. Rodriguez has experienced that, but knows God is for him.
“There is always adversity in all areas of our lives; as a football player there are adversities in training, in the games,” he says. “Things don’t always turn out good. As a professional football player, and a follower of Christ, my banner is Christ. I realize that the Lord is always fighting for me, guarding me, strengthening me, even in complicated situations.”
But being a follower of Christ in the world of professional sports allows Rodriguez to reach people he might not otherwise.
“We are an instrument in the hands of God to be able to share the Good News, His Word. This is a motivation. If He has put me in this position as a professional football player, it is to be light in the middle of darkness. This is an opportunity God has given me,” Rodriguez says.
As he leads his Peruvian teammates on the field and around the world, Rodriguez strives to make clear who he stands for.
“I always want to be better. I want to leave a legacy, an example for the youth that come behind me, so football in Peru continues to develop and grow,” he says. “It is important that the motivation I have is transmitted to others, so they can see not just me Alberto Rodriguez, who I am and what is inside Alberto Rodriguez. But that when they see me, they see God. They see a reflection of what God is doing in my life. This is the biggest joy for any follower of Christ.”
From left: Brazil's Alisson, Belgium's Jérémy Doku, USA's Christian Pulisic, Mexico's Santiago Giménez, England's Bukayo Saka. (AP Photos)
For the first time since 1994, the men’s FIFA World Cup is in North America. The 48-team tournament kicks off Thursday in Mexico City and ends on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Players from around the world will be giving glory to God as they participate. Here are 11 Christ-followers to keep an eye on as they take the field to represent their countries.
Alisson Becker, Brazil A two-time Premier League champion with Liverpool, Alisson has established himself as one of the world’s premier goalkeepers over the past decade. He has been the starter in net for Brazil at the past two World Cups and is projected to be the No. 1 choice again. The 33-year-old won multiple Goalkeeper of the Year awards in 2019 and has openly shared about his faith throughout his career. “As I got older, and I experienced more of life — both joy and pain — I realised that God is closer than you can ever imagine,” Alisson wrote last year in a piece for The Players’ Tribune.
Jérémy Doku, Belgium Doku is electric with the ball at his feet, and Belgium will be trying to get it to the 24-year-old as much as possible. He produced eight goals and 12 assists for Manchester City across all competitions this season, helping the team win the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. But every time he takes the field, his ultimate goal is to glorify the Lord. “On the pitch, I have His presence with me. That’s the difference. I’m just happy that now I can just deliver the way I want to play without any fear or doubt or anything,” Doku told NBC Sports in November.
Eberechi Eze, England After getting his first major international tournament experience at Euro 2024, Eze is hoping to play a larger role for the Three Lions this summer. He scored seven goals for Premier League champions Arsenal in his debut season with the club, appearing in 32 league games. As Eze’s star continues to rise, he remains grounded in his faith. “That faith is a foundation, it’s a pillar for me in my life, of course because of my Christian background and how I’ve grown up. For me, that’s just an anchor of how I live my life. I see everything through the eyes of faith,” he told Sky Sports in May.
Matt Freese, U.S.A. All signs point to Freese being the starting goalie for the U.S. He played every minute of last summer’s Gold Cup and has started eight of the team’s last 10 games. At the club level, he led NYCFC to the Eastern Conference Final last season. Freese draws confidence from knowing he is a child of God. “God’s given me so many opportunities within this game and within my career,” he said during a recent appearance on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast. “I still have a role to play in that. I still have to do my part and take that opportunity and do something with it.”
Cody Gakpo, Netherlands In his last two major tournaments (2022 World Cup and Euro 2024), Cody Gakpo has found the back of the net six times and assisted on another goal. The 27-year-old Liverpool winger scored in all three group-stage games in Qatar 2022 and will lead the Dutch attack again in North America, as he leans on his relationship with the Lord. “Faith gives me peace,” Gakpo told NRC in 2022. “And strength when I need it. I often read the Bible before I go to sleep. It is a kind of love letter that tells us how we should treat each other.”
Santiago Giménez, Mexico Giménez made his national team debut in 2021 at the age of 20 and started every game at the 2024 Copa América. He had a 23-goal season for Dutch club Feyenoord in 2023-24, which eventually led to him joining Italian powerhouse AC Milan. His faith is the source of the passion that he plays with. “I only ask Him to light up my spirit. It’s just that He lets me be the fighter that I was, that He lets me be that child who had fun before,” Giménez told SempreMilan last year. “Simply, it’s the passion that I have for football, that He reawakens it in me, because when you do things with passion, they turn out well.”
Kenji Gorré, Curaçao Curaçao are in the World Cup for the first time, and Gorré’s goal contributions are a big part of the reason why. The 31-year-old was involved in a team-high six goals (three goals and three assists) during qualifying. As he steps onto the world stage, Gorré is giving the glory to the Lord. “God really does make the impossible possible. … That’s why the God that we serve is alive,” he said in a soon-to-be-released interview with Sports Spectrum. “The God that we serve does want to make your dreams come true and He is with you in your journey.”
Maxence Lacroix, France Lacroix has become a key player for Premier League side Crystal Palace, helping the club win the FA Cup in 2025 and the UEFA Conference League in 2026. His performances earned him a national team debut in March and a spot on an extremely competitive French World Cup roster. He has not been shy about thanking God for the success he’s experienced. “Win titles. Win games. This is very important for a player to win, but look after God first and He will give you what your heart desires,” Lacroix told the Professional Footballers’ Association in 2024.
Mark McKenzie, U.S.A. A product of the famed Philadelphia Union academy, McKenzie just completed his second season in France with Toulouse. He has made 60 Ligue 1 appearances for the club and played 29 times for the U.S. His faith in God has played an important role throughout his career, he shared in a recent interview with Sports Spectrum. “Every day that goes by is a day where I have to look up and say, ‘Thank You, Lord, for seeing me through this,'” he said.
Christian Pulisic, U.S.A. Pulisic is the face of the U.S. men’s national team and its fifth all-time leading scorer with 33 goals at just 27 years old. The AC Milan winger scored the crucial goal against Iran that sent the U.S. to the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup. He has publicly discussed the role faith plays in his life on multiple occasions. “I’ve had to continue to prove myself over and over again,” Pulisic said at the end of a 2021 postgame interview, via CBS. “But, as always, I reach out to God and He gives me strength. With that behind me, nothing can stop me, really.”
Bukayo Saka, England Saka netted three goals at the last World Cup and is a central figure in the England squad that reached the Euro 2020 (played in 2021) and Euro 2024 Finals. He just won the Premier League title with his boyhood club, Arsenal, and started in the Champions League Final against PSG. At the 2022 World Cup, he talked about the peace he finds in the Lord. “It’s really important to obviously have the presence of God in me all the time, and it gives me more confidence that God’s plan is perfect so I can go on the pitch and know that God has my back,” he said in a pregame press conference.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY MATT FORTE, FEATURING MARK MCKENZIE
Mark McKenzie is a defender with Toulouse in France’s top league, and a member of the U.S. men’s national team preparing for the 2026 World Cup. He played college soccer at Wake Forest in 2017, and then turned pro, signing with the Philadelphia Union of MLS in 2018.
Today on the podcast, Mark McKenzie shares his God-story, takes us inside his preparation for the FIFA World Cup, and talks about what it means to represent the U.S. in the biggest soccer tournament in the world. He also shares how soccer became his sport of choice and why he places his identity in Jesus Christ.
