Top 20 best Muslim football players in the world right now

Football is a prestigious ball game that engages players from all nationalities worldwide. While countries like Nauru, Vatican and Monaco are not recognised by FIFA, they also have amazing football teams. Muslim football players are among the best footballers in the world, who have even reached the biggest leagues in the world.

There are over 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide: a quarter of the world’s population. Most people might immediately recognise Muslim players, while others might not. Because of this, the listicle below features players some might have never known are from the Islamic religion. Is your favourite player a Muslim?

20. Kurt Zouma

• Date of birth: 27 October 1994
• Age: 28 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Lyon, France

He is a French centre-back for the Premier League team West Ham and the France National team. He is a great defender whose defensive skills are unmatched by most top-league defenders. Most fans and pundits think his style of play is underrated, as he can manoeuvre through different positions and has skills compared to mid-fielders.

19. Xherdan Shaqir

• Date of birth: 10 October 1991
• Age: 31 years as of 2023
• Place of birth: Gjilan

Xherdan Shaqir is a Swiss professional footballer who plays for the Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire and the Switzerland national team. He is a Muslim but celebrates Christmas, which is a mainly Christian celebration. This, he said, is because his family used to celebrate it during his childhood.

18. Edin Dzeko

• Date of birth: 17 March 1986
• Age: 36 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

He is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Inter Milan and captains the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. He has practised Islam since he was born into a Muslim-faith family originally from Turkey, where most people are Muslims.

17. Benjamin Mendy

• Date of birth: 17 July 1994
• Age: 28 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Longjumeau, France

He is a French professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Premier League club Manchester City and the French national team. The great defender is a devoted Muslim who has performed the Hajj in Mecca.

16. Granit Xhaka

• Date of birth: 27 September 1992
• Age: 30 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Basel, Switzerland

Xhaka is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and captains the Premier League team Arsenal and captains the Switzerland national team. He is of the Islam faith from a Baklan background alongside most of his Arsenal teammates.

15. Ousmane Dembele

• Date of birth: 15 May 1997
• Age: 25 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Vernon, France

Masour Ousmane Dembele is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger for La Liga club Barcelona and the France national team. He is a practising Muslim who married a Moroccan wife in a traditional ceremony in 2019.

14. Sadio Mane

• Date of birth: 10 April 1992
• Age: 30 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Bambali, Senegal

Sadio Mane is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Senegal national team. He is a generous man who uses a great amount of his salary for donations and projects. He is a Muslim and is seen making d’ua before the start of each match.

13. Riyad Mahrez

• Date of birth: 21 February 1991
• Age: 31 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Sarcelles, France

Riyad Karim Mahrez is a Premier League club Manchester City winger and captains the Algerian national team. Mostly known for his dribbling techniques, the player is a practising Muslim who made the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca.

12. Ilkay Gundogan

• Date of birth: 24 October 1990
• Age: 32 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Gundogan captains Manchester City Premier League club and the German national team. The midfielder says that his Muslim family and migrants motivate him to be who he is today.

11. Antonio Rudiger

• Date of birth: 3 March 1993
• Age: 29 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Berlin, Germany

He is a professional German footballer for the La Liga club Real Madrid and the German national team. Unlike most of his fans know, the centre-back is a practising Muslim born in Berlin to a German father and a Sierra Leonean mother.

10. Eric Abidal

• Date of birth: 11 September 1979
• Age: 43 years as of 2023
• Place of birth: Lyon, France

Eric Sylvain Abidal is a former French professional footballer who played mainly for Lyon and Barcelona. He had a successful career, winning 18 trophies for both teams. The defender was born a Catholic but moved to Islam in his 20s and changed his name to Bilal Eric Abidal.

9. Nicolas Anelka

• Date of birth: 14 March 1979
• Age: 43 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Les Chesnay, Les Chesnay-Rocquencourt, France

Nicolas Sebastian Anelka is a retired professional footballer for mainly Chelsea and the French National team. He is a French football manager who converted from an atheist to Islam in 2004, taking the Muslim name, ‘Abdul-Salam Bilal’.

8. Emmanuel Adebayor

• Date of birth: 26 February 1984
• Age: 38 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Lome, Togo

Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor is a professional striker for the Togolese Championnat National club Semassi. He converted from Christianity to Islam in 2015, and a video of him taking Shahada or declaration of faith, went viral.

7. Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui

• Date of birth: 22 November 1987
• Age: 35 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Etterbeek, Germany

Fellaini is a former Manchester United player who currently plays as a mid-fielder for the Chinese club Shandong Taishan. He is of Moroccan heritage and a practising Muslim.

6. Mohammed Salah Ghaly

• Date of birth: 15 June 1992
• Age: 30 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Nagrig, Egypt

Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly is s professional footballer for Liverpool FC in the Premier League and captains the Egypt national team. The Egyptian is one of the most elite African footballers, and unlike some of his fans know, he is a Muslim. This is evident by how he bows down to thank God every time he scores.

5. N’Golo Kante

• Date of birth: 29 March 1991
• Age: 31 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Paris, France

N’Golo Kante plays for the EPL team Chelsea and France national team. Known for his humble, down-to-earth figure off the pitch, he is widely considered one of the best central midfielders in the world, with an amazing work rate and defensive acumen. He is also a Muslim born to Milan parents who migrated from Mali to France in 1980.

4. Paul Pogba

• Date of birth: 15 March 1993
• Age: 29 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Lagny-Sur-Marne, France

Paul Labile Pogba is an amazing midfielder for Serie A club Juventus and the France national team. His prowess in the game can be seen in his ability to switch positions from the central mid-field position to the left winger, attacking midfielder, defensive mid-fielder and deep-laying playmaker. He converted to Islam and said it had made him a ‘better person’.

3. Mesut Ozil

• Date of birth: 15 October 1988
• Age: 34 years as of 2023
• Place of birth: Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Mesut Ozil is an attacking midfielder for Super Lig club Istanbul Basaksehir. Rivalled by few, his soft touch, control and precision, blended with his technical skills, creativity and vision, have made him one of the most successful players in the world. Also, he is a Muslim and is occasionally seen reciting the Quran before his matches.

2. Karim Benzema

• Date of birth: 19 December 1987
• Age: 35 as of 2023
• Place of birth: Lyon, France

Karim Mostafa Benzema is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker and captains the La Liga club Real Madrid and the French national team. The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner is often regarded as a complete player and one of the best strikers of all time. He is one of the world’s best Muslim football players.

1. Zinedine Zidane

• Date of birth: 23 June 1970
• Age: 50 years as of 2023
• Place of birth: La Castellane, Marseille, France

Popularly known as Zizou, he is a Real Madrid legend and one of the most successful coaches in the world. The attacking midfielder was renowned for his ‘attractive attacking style’ with ball control and retention blended with speed as his major weapons. He is an Islam of Algerian Kabyle descent.

Who is the best Muslim footballer of all time?

Zinedine Zidane is regarded as one of the most popular Muslim footballers of all time, thanks to his prowess in the game. Born in a poor neighbourhood in Marseilles, he became the greatest Real Madrid legend and one of the most successful players in history.

Do Muslim footballers fast?

Fasting for Muslims takes place during Ramadhan. Luckily, the season ends just before the celebration, and fasting can be done during the off-season.

The best Muslim football players have repeatedly proven to be the best in the game. Despite the difference in religion with teammates, they have been able to do their best and bring out the most in others.

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Source: Sports Brief News