The archbishop of Uganda has used Arsenal star Bukayo Saka as part of his prayers after admitting he had learnt from the winger.
Saka has scored seven goals and notched the same number of assists this season, helping the Gunners to storm to the top of the Premier League. One of those assists came in Sunday’s North London derby win over Tottenham, which took Arsenal eight points clear.
Those starring performances have drawn admiring looks from as far a field as East Africa. Stephen Kazimba, who is the archbishop of Uganda and the bishop of the country’s capital, Kampala, has revealed that he has used Saka as the basis for several of his prayers.
Kazimba, a passionate Arsenal fan, drew attention for comforting Manchester United fans during a time when the Red Devils were performing poorly. Now, he has revealed that Saka has helped him to form the basis of his prayers after learning two specific things from the attacker.
“Our boys did it again. Arsenal, the Gunners! And for Man Utd fans, congratulations upon yesterday’s win. Pray hard to maintain the momentum. Soccer becomes nice when Giants win and compete. That’s why they say soccer is soccer,” Kazimba wrote on Twitter.
“I always refer Bukayo Saka whenever I am talking about strategic positioning. @BukayoSaka87 knows how to position himself well during the game and values teamwork. I learn the following from him; 1) Strategic positioning, 2) Teamwork. I think he is equally prayerful.”
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Saka has spoken openly of his Christian faith, revealing during the World Cup that he read from the Bible every night. He explained that he practiced his faith in order to take his mind off the pressure of professional football.
“I read my Bible every night. For me, it’s really important to have the presence of God in me all the time and it gives me more confidence to know that God’s plan is perfect, so I can go on the pitch and know that God has my back,” he said last month.
“But the main thing for me is just keeping my faith. You know just having faith in God, so I don’t need to be nervous or worry about any outcomes because, obviously, it’s my first World Cup. You know I can start worrying about different things and different outcomes, but instead I just choose to put my faith in God.”
As well as Kazimba, Saka has also recently earned the praise of United legend Rio Ferdinand. The former defender singled the Arsenal star out as one of the best wingers in the Premier League.
“If I had to play against one or the other, I’d rather play against [Manchester City’s] Mahrez over Saka, because [of] Saka’s pace. For me, as a defender, if I was going to play full-back, he’d want to go by you all the time,” Ferdinand told his Vibe with Five podcast last week.
“He’s a threat always to go behind you, whereas Mahrez takes little breathers in games. Listen, Mahrez is nuts. In terms of take-ons either way, he’s one of the most efficient and effective.”
