Attitude of Gratitude

Marion Götze told his fans that his life was governed by “trust, hope, strength, and faith.” The devout Christian added “dear God, I want to take a minute. Not to ask you for something. But simply to say thank you for everything I have.”

Mario Götze, remember him? The son of a university professor, dubbed “miracle boy,” whose wonder goal won the World Cup for Germany. He is a devout Christian who became even more famous for his religiously-themed Facebook updates during the 2014 World Cup final.

After the World Cup, coach Joachim Low labelled him the “miracle boy.” Götze is actively involved with the German team in Euro 2016, and his coach is hoping for a similarly miraculous performance as Germany looks forward to the next round of the competition.

As Europe’s biggest sporting event kicks into full swing this month, some of football superstars are showing a greater attitude of gratitude on and off the pitch.

Daniel Sturridge came off the bench to net a dramatic late winner in the 92nd minute to seal a 2-1 win over Wales. Afterwards, he said, “I am grateful to the gaffer for the opportunity and God for allowing me to score. It is a brilliant feeling.”

This was not the first time Sturridge had given thanks to God and man. A few years ago, after leaving Chelsea to play for Liverpool, he made a public declaration of his gratitude to God and Didier Drogba when he started scoring goals at Liverpool. “I keep praying for every game – which I always do. God showed me how I need to be strong mentally. Being strong mentally is the one thing that can separate you from anyone else. When I worked with Didier Drogba at Chelsea, the one strength he had above everybody was his mental strength. I learned a lot from him about what it takes to be a top player. Hopefully, I’ll become one.”

Sturridge celebrated his goal against Italy in the last World Cup by mouthing the words “I love you Jesus, and I praise you, father.” He is frequently found talking about his faith on social media, tweeting pictures from church or dropping the occasional Bible verse.

Sturridge has many reasons to be grateful to God. After suffering many serious injuries and undergoing uncountable surgeries, he is still fit enough to play football and score goals. After one of those painful surgical procedures last year, Sturridge posted a message which read: “I have had a successful operation on my hip today, and I want to thank God for allowing that to be possible. Onwards and upwards from here. Thanks for the support.”
At Euro 2016, many footballers happen to be publicly showing their gratitude to God. Spectators watch them crossing themselves as they run on to the pitch or pointing to the heavens to celebrate a goal. These external signals are a demonstration of a serious commitment to faith from many players.

Like Sturridge, Liverpool’s Christian Benteke is a Belgian striker who is not shy about showing off his attitude of gratitude. In response to questions about his trademark sky-pointing celebration, he told the Birmingham Mail that he thanks God for his abilities. “I do the celebration because I believe in God,” said Benteke. “So when I score, the first thing I have to do is say thank-you to Him. He has given me the power to score. I am a very religious person. I pray before the game and I pray after the game.”

Romelu Lukaku, another prolific Belgian centre-forward is someone who always gives honour to the Almighty whenever he finds the net. In interviews, he frequently namedrops God. When asked about who should be picked in the Belgium team he enigmatically replied, “every man for himself, and God for us all,” and he recently appeared in a TV commercial in which he admitted to reading the Bible three times a day.

There are no doubts that some footballers are open about their faith and publicly express their gratitude to God. Are you? The Methodist layman William Arthur Ward (1921 – 1994) once said “God gave you a gift of 86 400 seconds today. Have you used one to say thankyou?” Let’s have an attitude of gratitude.