“I thought, why don’t I learn about Jesus?” – Man City’s Rico Lewis reveals how faith changed his life | OneFootball

Manchester City star Rico Lewis expounded on his journey with religion and explained how “something clicked” when reading the Bible out of curiosity. 

The Manchester City defender didn’t have much to cheer about last season, having made only 11 Premier League appearances and 22 overall in Pep Guardiola’s final season in charge. 

But Lewis, 21, put all that frustration – culminating in a failure to be called up to Thomas Tuchel‘s England squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – aside after announcing that he tied the knot with his partner, Amelia, on Tuesday last week.

Lewis, who plays primarily as a right-back for City, will be hoping to be part of Enzo Maresca’s plans moving forward after struggling to gain minutes under Guardiola, yet there is a strong possibility that the club will seek external talent in that position. 

No matter the situation, though, Lewis has claimed that he has “not looked back” since turning to Christianity, and it’s likely that that mantra will be mirrored in his footballing life. 

“I’ve always loved history and one day something clicked. I thought, why don’t I learn about Jesus? Why don’t I find out about the Bible?” Lewis told BBC Sport.

A torrid start to the year saw Lewis feature in 110 minutes of football across 17 games; he was an unused substitute in five of those games, out of the squad in 10, and was sidelined with an ankle injury for three of those. 

He continued: “I started reading from a place of curiosity, to investigate, and as soon as I did, I think God touched my heart. It changed my life, and ever since I’ve not looked back.

“My wife was brought up believing in Jesus, but we have both increased our practice of faith – more than we would have otherwise – because I didn’t believe before.

“But leaning on each other, with the same end goal, is all that matters. It has helped us a lot in our life and in our relationship.” 

Lewis joined the City Academy at the age of eight and was part of the club’s Under-18 setup at just 15 years of age. Lewis made his debut against Bournemouth at the start of the Treble season and additionally played his maiden UEFA Champions League match less than two months later. 

After soaring as a wonderkid, Lewis signed a five-year deal at the Etihad Stadium in 2023 and helped England qualify for the top seeding for the 2024 UEFA European Championships, having made his international debut against North Macedonia. There remains doubt as to whether Lewis will be a City player next season.