Emmanuel Adebayor, Togolese’s football star converted to Islam and his face was seen in headlines around the world. His conversion is a great time to remind the world of all the famous football players who have converted to Islam in the past.
If we list down all the football players who have converted to Islam, the list will be very long. So we are just focusing on the most interesting ones.
Eric Abidal and Franck Ribery, are on the poster of famous football players who have converted to Islam.
The Former FC Barcelona’s defender said an Algerian women by the name of Hayet Abidal was one of the major reasons behind the Eric Abidal’s conversion. He was a Catholic, but converted to Islam and changed his name to Bilal Eric Abidal.
Frank Ribery converted in 2002, and changed his name to Bilal. When asked for a reason, he said his wife, who is originally an Algerian, was one of the main reasons.
Nicholas Anelka, kept his conversion a secret for many years, unlike his fellow national team member Franck Ribery. Anelka was at one point one of the best strikers, and has played for the biggest clubs in Europe, such as Juventus, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea. He was only 16 years old when he converted to Islam, but announced it in 2004 with his Muslim name Abdul-Salam Bilal.
Van Persie and Thierry Henry, for a long period of time fans did not know about their conversion.
Van Persie, a Dutch football player converted to Islam after he met Bouchra Elbali, a Moroccan woman. Persie is known for playing in the Netherlands national football team and Manchester United. According to sources, he is a non-practicing Muslim, and has never spoken about his religion publicly.
Thierry Henry, Arsenal’s legendary striker and French football player announced his conversion in 2008 December. In an interview he said Eric Abidal and Franck Ribery have played a huge role in his conversion.
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