Islam, also known as the Islamic faith, is a monotheistic religion originating from Abraham, teaching that there is only one God and Muhammad is the messenger of God. It is the second-largest religion in the world with over 1 billion followers, equivalent to around 15% of the world's population, and they are commonly referred to as Muslims. Globally, there are many famous football players who come from the Islamic faith. They even serve as pillars in the teams they represent. If you're curious about who they are, let's explore the Top 10 Muslim soccer players in the world list below with admin Wintips.
The best Muslim soccer players in the world - Who are they?
1. Wahbi Khazri
Wahbi Khazri (Arabic: وهبي خزري; born 8 February 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder, left winger or forward for Ligue 1 club Montpellier. Trained at Bastia since 2004, Khazri made his professional debut there in 2009 and quickly became an important part of the team, as he helped the club gain promotion to Ligue 2 in 2011, and then Ligue 1 in 2012.
Khazri plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Montpellier. Between 2013 and 2022, he participated in 74 matches and scored 25 goals for the national team, having served as captain before. Wahbi Khazri has played for Tunisia in 5 African Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup.
2. N’Golo Kante - Best Muslim soccer players
N'Golo Kanté plays for the Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad and the French national team. Known for his humble demeanor and practicality off the pitch, N'Golo Kanté is widely regarded as one of the best central midfielders in the world, with astonishing work rate and sharp defensive instincts. He is also a Muslim, born to Malian parents who immigrated to France in 1980. On July 16, 2016, Kanté officially joined Chelsea. On October 23, 2016, Kanté executed a beautiful combination play and dribble.
Completely bypassing the Manchester United defense to score against David de Gea. Helping Chelsea defeat Manchester United 4-0. That season, Chelsea won the Premier League title. On May 30, 2021, Kanté became the standout player in the UEFA Champions League final, contributing to Chelsea's victory. Additionally, he was the standout player in both legs of the semi-final between Chelsea and Real Madrid.
3. Karim Benzema - Best Muslim soccer players
Karim Mostafa Benzema is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker and captain Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad. The 2022 Ballon d'Or winner is often rated as a complete player and one of the best strikers of all time. Karim Benzema is one of the best Muslim footballers in the world.
Throughout his career, Benzema has been known for his superior goalscoring ability, impressive technique, willingness to play deep backwards to connect with the midfield and prolific physicality. In addition, he often makes daring moves and can open up scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates playing alongside him.
4. Mohamed Elneny
Mohamed Elneny began his football journey at the age of 6. In 1997, Elneny joined the Al Ahly Sporting academy. From El Mahalla, Elneny took the subway to the capital city of Cairo, waiting an additional 30 minutes for the bus to Al Ahly. The daily commute to Egypt's top football academy forced Elneny to wake up at 4 am, eat breakfast prepared by his mother, and return home only at 11 pm.
The option of boarding school was considered by his mother due to the hardships of travel. However, Elneny's father, who was the head coach of Baladeyet Al-Mahalla club at the time, known for his strict coaching methods, disagreed. He wanted to see his youngest son grow after each day of training in a professional environment. Elneny's thoughts and emotions were carefully noted by his father day after day.
5. Mohamed Salah - Best Muslim soccer players
In the summer of 2023, Saudi Pro League clubs have made record bids with Liverpool in a bid to sign The Kop's best player, Mohamed Salah. In the face of attractive offers, the Anfield team still refused to keep the Egyptian star. After the start of the season, this was probably Liverpool's best decision as Salah continued to shine and helped the "Red Brigade" fly high in the Premier League table.
The 31-year-old has contributed 12 goals and 4 assists in his first 17 games this season. In each appearance, Salah showed that he is improving. In Liverpool's squad, no player has shown greater effort than the Egyptian striker. The "Egyptian Pharaoh" is becoming an ideal role model for his teammates.
6. Saïd Benrahma - Best Muslim soccer players
Mohamed Saïd Benrahma (Arabic: محمد سعيد بن رحمة; born 10 August 1995) is an Algerian professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Ligue 1 club Lyon, currently on loan from West Ham United, and the Algeria national team. Benrahma began his professional career at Nice, then went on loan at Angers, Gazélec Ajaccio and Châteauroux early in his career.
He rose to prominence in the EFL Championship after moving to Brentford in 2018, scoring 27 goals in 83 games for the west London side before moving to the Premier League with West Ham in 2021 after a loan spell. West Ham players have always been loved by fans because of their fiery play and diverse finishing ability. This gives West Ham a very high scoring opportunity.
7. Riyad Mahrez
"When you are a boy, you dream of the biggest games," Mahrez declared after helping City reach the Champions League final. As soon as he signed for City in 2018, Mahrez confirmed his desire to win the Champions League. It took Mahrez 3 years to get his hands on that dream.
It's too early to say if City will beat Chelsea to the crown, but it was Mahrez who ushered in victory for the Etihad Stadium side. Debuting in 2018 as the most expensive player in City history, Mahrez faced many difficulties to assert himself. Two seasons ago, Mahrez made 22 and 33 Premier League appearances respectively, but no one appreciated the midfielder's influence.
8. Antonio Rudiger - Best Muslim soccer players
Antonio Rudiger joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2022 on a free transfer after his contract with Chelsea expired. The German centre-back caught the eye of coach Carlo Ancelotti for playing very well in his colleague Thomas Tuchel's 3-back scheme.
More precisely, Rudiger is an excellent "wing-back" with the ability to hold the ball high to support the attack. Ancelotti has a reason to bring Rudiger to the Bernabeu because the Italian coach needs a backup for centre-back duo David Alaba and Eder Militao.
9. Thomas Partey - Best Muslim soccer players
Midfielder Thomas Partey of Arsenal has changed his name to Yakubu after converting to Islam following his recent marriage to Sara Bella, a Moroccan, the Daily Mail reported. However, despite the name change, the former Atletico Madrid midfielder will still be referred to as Partey when playing for Arsenal. Furthermore, the 28-year-old player will keep the name Thomas on the back of his jersey when competing.
Growing up as a pastor's son in eastern Ghana, Partey told the media in his homeland in October that he had converted to Islam because of Bella. In mid-November, a photo of him in London with a Sheikh circulated on social media as the couple held the Quran - the holy book of Islam. Devoting himself fully to Islam, Partey has now taken the name Yakubu after marrying Bella.
10. Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane was born on April 10, 1992, in Sedhiou, Senegal. He started playing football at a very young age and joined the Generation Foot academy in Dakar, Senegal. In 2011, he signed his first professional contract with FC Metz in France, where he played for two seasons before moving to Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.
Mane has become an important player for the Senegal national team since making his debut in 2012. He helped Senegal reach the final of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, although the team ultimately fell short against Algeria. Mane was nominated for the tournament's Best XI due to his impressive performances. Beyond his football career, Mane is known for his humility and commitment to giving back to his community.
Conclude
The above is the most famous Muslim soccer players in the world list, as of 2024. It can be observed that Muslim players face significant challenges when competing, as they have to fast for about a month according to their faith. However, that is not enough to make these players perform poorly. On the contrary, they excel and consistently achieve certain successes. You can also support these players by following our bookmaker legit website every day.
See also: Top 10 most expensive sports trophy - World Cup, UEFA Champions and others
