THIS IS SPORTS SPECTRUM’S WHAT’S UP PODCAST
WITH ANNABELLE HASSELBECK
On today’s episode of Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast, we have Alex Loera!
Alex shares about her journey through the highs and lows of pro soccer in the NWSL, memories from her days at Santa Clara, and how she finds joy in the hardest of circumstances.
Arsenal's Eberechi Eze walks of the field following a win over Tottenham, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Eberechi Eze had an ambitious and specific prayer ahead of his first North London derby on Sunday. The Arsenal attacker asked God for a hat trick, something that hadn’t happened in a game between Arsenal and their local rivals Tottenham since 1978.
Only three players had ever accomplished the feat. But sure enough, Eze became the fourth, scoring his three goals in the span of 36 minutes and leading Arsenal to a 4-1 victory. After the game, he was quick to credit the faith that has helped sustain him throughout his career.
“It’s what I prayed for,” he told NBC Sports. “I prayed for it today, man, a hat trick. And I got it today, so I’m grateful to God. … That was the prayer today: a hat trick. And God gave it to me. That’s faith, man.”
The 27-year-old found the back of the net on both sides of halftime to extend the Premier League leaders’ advantage to 3-0. He added a third in the 76th minute to complete his hat trick and seal the win.
The game carried a special significance for Eze, who grew up an Arsenal fan and was released by the club as a youth player. He found his way to QPR and then Crystal Palace, where he established himself as one of the Premier League’s most creative players.
After scoring the goal that won Palace the FA Cup last season, Eze decided he was ready for a new challenge. He appeared destined to join Tottenham, but Arsenal came in with a late offer before the summer transfer window closed. The opportunity to return to his boyhood club, which was coming off back-to-back second-place finishes, was too good to pass up.
“I can only thank God for the opportunity to be here, to be playing and to be recognized in this type of manner,” he said in an interview with the club website once his move was official. “For me, this is what I wanted to do. [The club] is in me, it’s part of me and I just feel so blessed. That just gives me more energy to keep pushing and keep working.”
Eze has started eight of Arsenal’s 12 Premier League games this season, contributing four goals and two assists. He has also appeared in all four of the team’s Champions League games, and scored for England during the most recent international break.
Following Sunday’s historic performance, Eze took to Instagram to celebrate. His caption was just one word: Jesus.
Now playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world with aspirations of winning a Premier League title, leaning on his faith allows Eze to stay focused on his ultimate purpose.
“I’ve grown up in a Christian household, regularly going to church,” he told The Athletic in 2023. “For me, it’s hugely important, simply because of the peace of mind it gives me. It allows me to regulate myself and put things into perspective.
“Football can get super intense and you can get caught up in it all, but my faith allows me to realign my focus and know there’s something greater and that there’s a deeper purpose as to why I’m in the position I’m in.”
He says his faith in Jesus helps keep him steady amid the highs and lows of life and being a professional athlete.
“I’ve learned in myself that staying rooted in Christ throughout all the different phases is the most important thing because it allows you to see things with the right lens,” he said recently in another interview. “Things will change. Things go up, things go down, you don’t know what’s around the corner, you don’t know how things may look. The one solid rock and foundation is Christ. Having that allows me to deal with whatever circumstance I’m in.”
Arsenal are six points clear at the top of the Premier League table heading into a crucial week. They host German powerhouse Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday (3 p.m. ET) and visit Chelsea on Sunday (11:30 a.m. ET) in a meeting of the Premier League’s top two teams.
Manchester City's Jeremy Doku chases after the ball against Liverpool on Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
The buildup to Sunday’s showdown between Manchester City and Liverpool centered around the 1,000th game of Pep Guardiola’s legendary managerial career coming against City’s greatest rival during his time at the club. The teams have combined to win the last eight Premier League titles, finishing in the top two spots on three occasions.
By the time the final whistle blew to make City’s 3-0 victory official, however, Guardiola was no longer the story. His left winger, Jeremy Doku, was.
In the first half, the 23-year-old Belgian international drew a penalty kick (though it was missed by teammate Erling Haaland) and led all players in just about every attacking statistic outside of goal contributions.
It was one of the most impressive individual Premier League performances in recent memory, and Doku did it while being subbed off in the 74th minute. He became the first player to score, win 10 duels, complete seven dribbles, create three chances and put three shots on target since fellow countryman Eden Hazard did so for Chelsea in 2019.
Now in his third season at City after joining from French club Stade Rennais, Doku is playing some of the best soccer of his career. He has three goals and four assists in 16 appearances across all competitions so far this season. Six of his seven goal contributions have come in the Champions League or Premier League.
Asked by NBC Sports on Sunday whether he felt like he’d taken his game to another level, Doku attributed his excellent form to a deeper relationship with God and the role faith plays in his life.
“What changed for me this season, I have God in my life,” he said. “That’s what changed, and that’s what you can see. 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.”
To celebrate the goal, Doku pointed to himself, wagged his finger and pointed to the sky. He wanted everyone to know that it was about the Lord, not him. It’s been a busy past two months for Doku off the field too, as he has gotten married and baptized.
His baptism followed a two-assist performance in a victory over crosstown rival Manchester United on Sept. 14.
“As a Christian, when you get baptized, your old nature, your old sinful nature dies, and you start living with God,” he told the BBC while discussing his baptism. “You resurrect with God, with Jesus Christ. You can do that as a kid but normally it’s meant for when you’re older and you really realize what you’re doing.
“… It’s the center of my life. There’s nothing more important to me than faith.”
Doku also recently began releasing a documentary series on YouTube that gives fans an inside look into his life off the field. He explained in a clip promoting the documentary that his main reason for doing it is to share the Gospel. He wants his testimony to inspire others.
“I don’t care about the money the YouTube is going to make, how many viewers, I don’t care,” he said. “But if I can open someone’s eyes or heart, open someone’s mind, to see what I saw, and to go deeper in his Christianity, I’m happy, you know? Even if it’s one person.”
Faith is a focus in many of the shows. In Episode 4, “Back to Ghana After 17 years,” Doku references Matthew 25:40 when talking about his desire to serve others.
“I just want to be a giver as well and help people in need,” he said. “That’s what God says: ‘If you give to the least, you give it to Him.’ Doing everything I’m going to do here, that’s the most important part for me: the charity and helping the people in need because that’s what I can give back with the talent that God gave me.”
Doku was included in Belgium’s 26-man squad for its upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan (Nov. 15) and Liechtenstein (Nov. 18). The Red Devils are currently atop their qualification group and on track to reach the World Cup in the U.S. this coming summer.
City return to action following the international break on Nov. 22 when they visit Newcastle United.
