⚽️ Hottest Muslim Football Players

If you’re like me, you don’t care so much for Football and what goes on in that world. However, it is considered to be one of the most masculine sports in the world and it is loaded with hot football players. It was very interesting to see just how many hot Muslim football players are out there and what do they look like.

Please note that this list isn’t the definitive list of Muslim football players, it is only a list of hottest ones I could find that are also internationally relevant (so to speak). If some of you have other candidates for the list, please let us know in the comments section or Twitter DM’s, so maybe a follow-up list will come as well!

KARIM BENZEMA

Karim Benzema was born in the city of Lyon, France to French nationals of Algerian descent. As a practicing Muslim, he observes fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

His grandfather, Da Lakehal Benzema, lived in the village of Tigzirt, located in the northern town of Beni Djellil in Algeria before migrating to Lyon, where he eventually settled in the 1950s. Benzema’s father, Hafid, was born in Tigzirt, while his mother, Wahida Djebbara, was born and raised in Lyon; her family originated from Oran. Benzema is the third youngest in the family and grew up with eight other siblings in Bron, an eastern suburb of Lyon. His younger brothers Gressy and Sabri are also footballers.

On 3 February 2014, his daughter Mélia was born. On 5 May 2017, his son Ibrahim was born.

Nicolas Anelka

Anelka was born in Le Chesnay, Yvelines, to parents who had migrated from Martinique in 1974.

Thereafter, they settled in Trappes, near Paris. His mother is a secretary in the local high school. Anelka is married to Barbara Tausia, a Belgian choreographer. Together, they have two sons, Kais, born in 2008, and Kahil, born in 2010.

After discussing religion with some childhood friends, Anelka converted to Islam in 2004 in the United Arab Emirates, taking the Muslim name of “Abdul-Salam Bilal”.

Anelka has said that he initially fasted during daylight hours as is required for the Muslim month of Ramadan, but “I realized I often got injured just after the period of Ramadan, so I don’t observe it strictly any more”.

Hatem Ben Arfa

Ben Arfa was born in the Paris suburb of Clamart and was raised in Châtenay-Malabry.

His father, Kamel Ben Arfa, a former Tunisian international footballer, arrived in France in 1973, settling in Saint-Michel, Aisne to work in a foundry. He later starred for a local club in the commune.

Ben Arfa describes himself as a moderately practising Muslim. On 29 May 2012 Ben Arfa was included in France’s 23 man squad for UEFA Euro 2012, making his first start in the final game of Group D, losing 2–0 to Sweden.

Salomon Kalou

Kalou has two brothers and eight sisters from the same mother. His brother, Bonaventure Kalou, also played professional football. Kalou joined Feyenoord during the time his brother Bonaventure was playing for the club.

In 2010, Kalou set up The Kalou Foundation, dedicated to providing facilities for social welfare and recreation of those who have need of such facilities by reason of youth, age, infirmity or disability, financial hardship or social circumstances and also for the relief of sickness worldwide.

Kalou received much media attention regarding his possible naturalization as a Dutch citizen which, if granted, would allow him to play for the Netherlands national football team.

Having never played for the Ivory Coast team, he would be eligible for the Dutch team if he was naturalized. His brother Bonaventure had advised him to pursue foreign citizenship after frequently experiencing problems with the Ivory Coast football authorities.

PHOTO: SALOMON KALOU ON THE LEFT

Adil Rami

Rami is the father of twins, Zayn and Madi (b. 2016), with former companion Sidonie Biémont. In 2017, he began dating Canadian actress Pamela Anderson and as of November 2018, the two were living together in a mansion in Cassis, near Marseille, in the French Riviera.
But in late June 2019, Anderson declared in an Instagram post that she and Rami have ended their relationship.

Rami took part in the finals of the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament, called up to replace the injured Raphael Varane, Rami played every minute of the first four matches (group stage and round of 16) of the finals, against Romania, Albania, Switzerland and the Republic of Ireland.

However, he did not play the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches against Iceland, Germany and Portugal respectively.

The host-nation France finished as runners-up of the tournament after losing to Portugal 1–0 after extra time in the final.

Nabil Fekir

Nabil Fekir (born 18 July 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a forward for Real Betis and the France national team.
An academy graduate of Lyon, he was promoted to the senior squad in July 2013.

Fekir became a first-team regular in his second season, when he was named the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year. He made 192 appearances for Les Gones, scoring 69 goals and also gaining team captaincy in 2017.

Fekir made his debut for France in March 2015 and was chosen in their squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Fekir is the older brother of the French footballer, Yassin Fekir, who also made his professional debut at Lyon and transferred with him to Betis. They are both of Algerian descent.

PHOTO: NABIL FEKIR ON THE RIGHT

Shkodran Mustafi

Born in Bad Hersfeld, Hesse, to an Albanian family originally from Gostivar, in the former Yugoslavia. Mustafi started his career in the youth system of local 1. FC Bebra, and had a stint with SV Rotenburg, before joining Hamburger SV’s youth setup in 2006.

He made his full international debut against Poland on 13 May 2014, and was part of the German teams that won the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, also competing at UEFA Euro 2016.

Mustafi was also called up for UEFA Euro 2016. In Germany’s opening match against Ukraine in Lille, he headed a delivery from Toni Kroos to open a 2–0 win. He was also part of their squad that won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia, but was omitted from the following year’s World Cup in the same country due to a poor season with Arsenal.

Mustafi is a practicing Muslim. In July 2016, he married model Vjosa Kaba in Gostivar, and she gave birth to their daughter in July 2017.

EMRE CAN

Emre Can is a German professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Borussia Dortmund on loan from Italian club Juventus, until June 2020, and the Germany national team. A versatile player, Can has also played as a defensive midfielder, centre back and full back.

Born in 1994 in Frankfurt, Can joined local side SV Blau-Gelb Frankfurt at the age of six and remained at the club until 2006, when he joined the youth academy of Eintracht Frankfurt.

In October 2019, Turkish international footballer Cenk Tosun published a photograph on Instagram in which he stated support for soldiers involved in the Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria. The post was initially liked by Can and İlkay Gündoğan, who are both German internationals of Turkish descent; however, they both later removed their likes.

Regarding the incident, Can told the German newspaper daily Bild: “I am an absolute pacifist and against all forms of war,” also stating that he unintentionally liked the post while scrolling through his timeline.

Can is a practising Muslim.

Sead Kolasinac

Sead Kolašinac, born 20 June 1993, is a professional footballer who plays as a left back for English Premier League club Arsenal and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.

Kolašinac was born in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, to Bosniak parents. He attended the Gesamtschule Berger Feld. His father, Faik, who works at a Mercedes-Benz factory, was born in Nikšić, Montenegro, to parents from Plav. The family moved to Čapljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1969, where Faik met his wife. Kolašinac and his family practice Islam.

As well as having a German passport, Kolašinac was given a Bosnian passport in 2013 so that he could play for the Bosnian national team.

Kolašinac is often referred to by fans as the “The Destroyer”, “The Tank”, or “The Bosnian Hulk”, due to his robust, muscular frame and aggressive playing style.

Nacer Chadli

Nacer Chadli is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Anderlecht, on loan from Monaco, and the Belgium national team.

Chadli played internationally for Morocco in 2010 as his father is of Moroccan descent, but switched allegiance to Belgium the following year.

He has earned over 50 caps for Belgium and represented the nation at the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2018.
He has posed naked for the December issue of Cosmopolitan to raise awareness of male cancer for Cancer Research UK.

“I’ve never posed naked before, but I’m not nervous – maybe I should wait and see what the reaction’s like! It’s an important cause – cancer affects lots of families, so I hope it gets people talking,” he says of his decision to pose for the magazine.