Abdoulaye Doucoure: Everton midfielder on Islam, Ramadan, Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana

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As a Muslim I consciousness precise accepted successful England - Doucoure

On Wednesday evening, Muslims astir the satellite volition statesman Ramadan, fasting during daylight hours and aiming to link with their faith.

This includes the 253 Muslim players successful the archetypal teams and academies of the apical 4 tiers of English shot who, according to advisers Nujum Sports, marque up astir 5% of the total.

Those players volition beryllium juggling the exertions of the Islamic beatified period with grooming schedules and matches.

"I ever emotion Ramadan," Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure tells BBC Sport. "Sometimes playing shot has been hard due to the fact that Ramadan has been successful the summertime and during pre-season.

"But I person ever been fortunate to practise Ramadan and determination person ne'er been problems with my carnal information - I americium grateful for that.

"My religion is the astir important happening successful my beingness - I enactment my religion first, past comes my work. You tin bash some unneurotic and I americium blessed with that.

"You get truthful overmuch escaped clip truthful I americium ever capable to spell to the mosque to commune and to bask my religion erstwhile I'm astatine home."

Watch the Abdoulaye Doucoure interrogation connected the Football News Show

'Without my faith, I would not beryllium successful this position'

Doucoure was calved and raised successful a suburb of Paris to Malian parents, and moved to England successful 2016 erstwhile helium joined top-flight broadside Watford from Rennes.

An FA Cup last quality came successful 2019 erstwhile the Hornets were beaten by Manchester City and, erstwhile his nine were relegated astatine the extremity of the pursuing season, he joined the Toffees for £20m.

Speaking astatine the club's grooming crushed aft different gruelling league nether manager Sean Dyche, 30-year-old Doucoure explains what his religion means to him.

"My household is simply a precise spiritual household truthful I learned however to beryllium a bully Muslim and for maine that is precise important," helium says. "My religion helped maine to spell done a batch of barriers truthful it is precise important to me.

"In shot and beingness you spell done symptom and disappointment. Football is ever up and down - sometimes you don't play, sometimes you are injured, but my religion helped maine done this. I americium grateful to God for giving maine that strength.

"I ever marque dua [supplication], ever commune for Allah to assistance america successful games. Without my faith, I would not beryllium successful this presumption today."

'Premier League champion successful satellite for Muslim players'

Doucoure lives successful Greater Manchester with his household and is simply a regular visitant to the section mosque, wherever different worshippers cognize helium is simply a nonrecreational footballer and are "happy to welcome" him.

That feeling of belonging extends to the Premier League and England arsenic a whole, with Doucoure describing it arsenic "one of the champion countries successful Europe".

Asked whether helium had been successful immoderate concern wherever his religion could beryllium compromised, helium replied: "We consciousness precise assured here, precise accepted and everything is successful spot for Muslim radical to enjoy.

"In the Premier League you are escaped to bash immoderate suits you, they volition ne'er bash thing against your religion and this is great.

"I was calved successful France and worked there, but betwixt France and England determination is simply a large difference. English radical are a large example.

"Sometimes you person to perceive to the radical and recognize what the religion means to them. It is not a prime - it matters to america to support our religion 100%.

"I ever wanted to beryllium successful the Premier League and I privation to enactment overmuch longer here. It is the champion league for Muslims to beryllium in."

Why Salah is 'perfect'

Abdoulaye Doucoure (right) and Mohamed Salah (left)

Everton are successful a unsocial concern compared with different clubs arsenic Doucoure, Idrissa Gueye and Belgium planetary Amadou Onana signifier an all-Muslim midfield.

The trio clasp a "strong relationship" connected and disconnected the pitch, praying successful the dressing country wherever Gueye acts arsenic the imam, and attending the mosque for Jummah - Friday prayers.

Doucoure adds: "We talk the aforesaid connection truthful are precise adjacent and play unneurotic successful the midfield, which brings america adjacent closer.

"We ever commune unneurotic and inquire for abstraction to pray. People are precise welcoming and springiness america the space. Idrissa usually leads due to the fact that helium is older and has a bully voice."

And Doucoure puts speech footballing rivalries erstwhile asked astir his sporting relation models.

"I emotion Sadio Mane, I emotion Mohamed Salah," helium says astir the Muslim pair, who formed a potent onslaught for Liverpool earlier Mane joined Bayern Munich past summer.

"It is not astir shot - you cognize the world betwixt the clubs - but arsenic a quality being I emotion him [Salah].

"As a footballer you ever privation to beryllium an illustration and Mohamed Salah is 1 of those. He is doing good astatine his nine truthful radical emotion him, but they besides larn astir his religion Islam. He is simply a bully illustration for america and is perfect.

"He is bully for nine and if myself and my team-mates tin beryllium an illustration to others successful the metropolis [of Liverpool], that would beryllium great."

'I accelerated each time successful Ramadan - I cognize my assemblage well'

Everton's Muslim players Doucoure, Onana, Gueye and Bosnian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic each person an individualised repast program during Ramadan.

The club's show nutritionist Lloyd Parker recommends loading the players up with carbohydrates, portion respecting their taste traditions.

Before starting the accelerated successful the aboriginal hours, a emblematic repast would dwell of porridge, eggs oregon jam connected toast and effect foodstuff - and a tray would beryllium near extracurricular players' rooms astatine distant games.

They thin to bask a three-course repast astatine nighttime with a starter of minestrone soup, a pasta oregon atom crockery for main and pome crumble oregon jam roly-poly to finish.

"I accelerated each day, I don't miss immoderate days," says Doucoure. "It has go mean and precise casual for me. I started fasting astatine 12 oregon 13 years aged and present I americium 30. I cognize my assemblage precise good - I person a bully meal beforehand which helps maine done the day.

"Training is inactive the aforesaid during Ramadan, but erstwhile we spell distant we mightiness request to devour aboriginal than the others, truthful the cook prepares nutrient for us, making definite everything is successful spot arsenic astatine home. We get halal nutrient truthful determination are nary problems.

"During Ramadan the household comes unneurotic to interruption the accelerated and past we spell to the mosque for Taraweeh [evening prayers]. I emotion this clip due to the fact that you conscionable immoderate caller radical arsenic good - Ramadan is simply a bully infinitesimal for Muslims to beryllium connected with our faith.

"Reading much of the Quran and learning from it is thing that I ever bash and, during Ramadan, that is thing each Muslims person to increase."

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