‘A role model’: Djed Spence, first Muslim England player, lifts hopes

London, United Kingdom – Djed Spence kneeled connected the transportation and raised his hands skyward to convey God aft England bushed Norway successful the World Cup quarterfinal.

The July 11 lucifer acceptable up Wednesday’s semifinal date with England’s archrivals Argentina. For millions watching, it was the archetypal clip an England planetary had offered Muslim prayers connected the field, connected the biggest signifier successful football.

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“Being the archetypal Muslim subordinate to correspond the Three Lions, it meant everything. Something I’ve ever wanted arsenic a kid. But what makes maine blessed is simply a batch of kids tin look astatine it and beryllium inspired. I consciousness it’s bigger than maine and it’s large for generations to come,” the 25-year-old England defender said precocious past year.

Zain Gondal says helium feels represented present England has its archetypal jersey-wearing Muslim subordinate [Courtesy of Zain Gondal]

Spence sustained a breached jaw against Chelsea successful May 2026, and has worn a carbon-fibre disguise during this tournament.

Spence’s emergence this World Cup – coming disconnected the bench, absorbing unit from his manager, increasing into his spot successful defence – has made him the archetypal Muslim to correspond England’s elder men’s team. Germany, France and Spain, England’s closest European rivals, person had Muslim internationals for years. For England, this milestone feels agelong overdue to many.

“When I recovered retired helium was Muslim, I conscionable liked him adjacent more,” said Zain Gondal, a 23-year-old England instrumentality successful London who has followed Spence’s tally closely. He has a brushed spot for Muslim players due to the fact that “you tin spot yourself a spot successful them”.

“Every clip [Spence is] playing, he’s travel on. He’s defended truly good … I thought helium was amazing.”

‘He’s a relation model’

Riz Rehman, an ex-footballer, whose member Zesh Rehman was the archetypal Muslim footballer to play successful the English Premier League, knows the roadworthy that led present amended than most.

He spent 15 years astatine the UK’s Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) gathering the scaffolding – supplication rooms, Ramadan acquisition for staff, breaks to unfastened accelerated – that men similar Spence locomotion into today.

He met Spence done that enactment astatine the defender’s club, Tottenham Hotspur, sitting with him during Ramadan aft his instrumentality from injury.

“He’s caller to the faith,” Rehman said, explaining that Spence converted to Islam a mates of years ago. “He’s a relation model, and helium indispensable proceed doing what he’s doing, having a bully quality and support inspiring others.”

Riz Rehman, an ex-footballer who mentors young players, pictured with Djed Spence [Courtesy of Riz Rehman]

The 2 exchanged numbers; Rehman has messaged him earlier and aft matches since.

“I don’t deliberation this changes him arsenic a idiosyncratic whatsoever. If anything, it volition really bring him adjacent person to his religion,” said Rehman.

“Djed’s England travel is astir much than conscionable football. It’s a reminder to young Muslim players and families crossed the UK that your religion and religion doesn’t bounds ambition; it tin lone fortify it,” helium said.

“It is besides important we don’t spot the expectations of an full assemblage connected 1 player’s shoulders. There are ever radical retired determination looking for faults successful others, but we request to retrieve that everyone is connected their ain religion travel and Djed is nary exception.”

There are others who are lone getting to cognize Spence and his footballing prowess.

Shabna Zaheer, who founded The Scene, a South Asian-led corporate focused connected creating inclusive, alcohol-free spaces for the community, has screenings crossed London this World Cup, drafting crowds of implicit 200 to a venue successful Brixton.

She had not followed Spence intimately before. “I didn’t really cognize helium was a revert until I saw the photograph of him … putting his hands up,” she said. “We’ve ne'er seen an English footballer bash that.”

The designation arrived tangled with dread. “I conscionable anticipation it goes well, due to the fact that a batch of america besides get a spot tense erstwhile we spot idiosyncratic bash that, for what the media mightiness bring towards them.”

She has crushed to interest due to the fact that aft an nonfiction astir her screenings precocious went viral connected Facebook, the comments mostly told Muslims to “integrate” and to spell to the pub if they wanted to socialise.

Fans ticker a lucifer astatine an lawsuit organised by The Scene, a corporate which offers alcohol-free settings [Courtesy of Shabna Zaheer]

Daniel Bennett, The Scene’s originative director, sees anticipation contempt the nervousness.

Representation matters astatine a clip erstwhile Muslims and minorities are often discussed “through the lens of part oregon controversy”, helium said, pointing to the racist maltreatment directed astatine Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka aft the 2020 Euro final. “I’m not going to unreal similar this milestone infinitesimal volition abruptly alteration everything.”

Gondal agreed the limits are real, and points past shot entirely.

“The mode that radical presumption minorities is due to the fact that they’re rather frustrated with however the state is astatine the moment. But that’s each to bash with politics; shot can’t truly hole that,” warned the young England fan. “It’s connected the politicians to marque the state better, due to the fact that they’re the ones, similar [Reform UK leader] Nigel Farage, forcing these opinions onto others.”

Bennett and Rehman absorption connected what a Muslim planetary mightiness alteration successful the wider culture. But Mark Overall, a goalkeeping scout and coach, brings it backmost to who really gets scouted and picked successful the archetypal place.

He remembers a Southall younker squad helium coached successful 2014 grooming done Ramadan. Players ran elevation sessions without nutrient oregon h2o – a formative acquisition of his career. He was impressed and inspired by that group’s enactment ethic. Yet helium has watched older scouts walk implicit Asian and Muslim players for what helium bluntly called, nary bully reason.

“If they had a prime betwixt a white, Christian subordinate and idiosyncratic from India oregon Pakistan, they’d ever spell for the achromatic lad. There is simply a small spot of racism inactive astatine the grassroots level and adjacent astatine the academy level, mostly by the older scouts,” helium said.

Mark Overall, a goalkeeping scout and coach, is impressed by Muslim players who tin accelerated during Ramadan and vie [Courtesy of Mark Overall]

But Spence’s coagulated tally successful England’s World Cup run gives him crushed to beryllium cautiously optimistic.

“It changes the mindset that anyone tin marque it to immoderate level … it doesn’t substance what your beliefs are. Football’s a crippled for everyone,” said Overall.

The infinitesimal has adjacent produced its ain people footnote.

UK singer-songwriter Ben Cipolla has written the tribute opus “Total Eclipse of Djed Spence” charting the player’s travel from a indebtedness spell astatine French nine Rennes to the England shirt, playing connected his surname for a motion to the 80s deed “Total Eclipse of the Heart”.

Spence’s communicative has already travelled good beyond the pitch.

England’s Djed Spence has lifted the hopes of Britain’s Muslim number [File: Dylan Martinez/Reuters]