The men’s soccer team from the tiny country of Curaçao is setting records this year, and glorifying God as they do it.
The men are known for publicly singing worship songs like Goodness of God during rallies and practices, and several players were seen praying on the field with their opponents after their games with Germany and Ecuador.
The team from the Caribbean island nation is defying the odds, appearing in their first World Cup ever, while representing the country with the smallest population at the event.
Curaçao has roughly 185,400 residents, so its ability to compete at the World Cup is astounding. It’d be comparable to the city of Fort Lauderdale, FL, fielding a world-class team from the residents of their city.
A big moment for the team came when their goalkeeper Eloy Room, made a record-setting 15 saves when they played Ecuador. No World Cup goalkeeper has ever made more saves than Room without the game going into extra time. And by tying that game, Curaçao became the smallest country ever to earn a point at the World Cup.
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Meanwhile, Curaçao’s Kenji Gorré, who has played soccer at the top level in the UK, pulled players from his country and Ecuador together for a post-game prayer of thanks, just like they did after the game with Germany. “HIStory is being made. Thank You Jesus,” he posted on Instagram.
Gorré also told the Sports Spectrum podcast before the tournament, “One thing that God’s really taught me is that we have to have an audience of One, and that is playing for Jesus. That is playing not for your name to be glorified, but for His name to be glorified and understanding that it’s actually not about me.”
Here’s a clip of Gorré preaching a powerful gospel message at a public rally in the Netherlands!
While the Blue Wave from Curaçao isn’t expected to advance in the competition, their faith and courage have been winning hearts while pointing fans to Jesus.
CLICK here for more about how Christianity is at the heart of this U.S. men’s national team too!
From Pulisic’s ‘Bible Time’ to Team Prayer on the Field, US Gives ‘Glory to God’ at World Cup
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