Nigerian striker, Tolu Arokodare, has explained why he shared a moment of prayer and thanksgiving with an opposing player after their match, saying the gesture was an opportunity to celebrate God and acknowledge His blessings in their lives.

Arokodare said the prayer moment was initially planned to take place before the game, but the arrangement could not happen because the other player had a meeting.

In a video circulating online and posted by Pooja, a Nigerian sports journalist, photographer, broadcaster and social media personality on X on Friday, speaking about the incident, the Nigerian forward clarified that although they were not particularly close friends, they knew each other and had met previously.

“I wouldn’t say we’re the closest of friends, but we’re two players who know each other. We’ve met before, and that was our second time meeting each other,” he said.

According to Arokodare, both players had discussed sharing a moment of prayer and praise before the encounter as a way of expressing their faith in Christ.

However, the plan was postponed because the opposing player was unavailable at the time.

“Before the game, it was something that we spoke about, that we wanted to share a moment in Christ and praise and thank God before the game actually, but he was having a meeting, so he couldn’t do it,” Arokodare explained.

The striker said the opportunity eventually came after the final whistle, when both players decided to thank God for a successful and injury-free match.

He also revealed that they were grateful for scoring goals during the encounter.

“It was just the moment that came about after the game, to thank God for the game, for the injury-free game, and also thank God for blessing both of us each with a goal,” he said.

Arokodare further explained that the gesture was intended to demonstrate the importance of faith in their lives and inspire others through their public expression of gratitude.

He said both players believed the moment could help show the world the positive impact of God in their respective lives.

“We just appreciate God and show our gratitude to Him, and celebrate Him, and hopefully have an impact with that gesture to show the world the impact of God in our lives,” he added.

The Nigerian forward said they both considered the post-match prayer an appropriate opportunity to celebrate their faith.

“We both felt it would be a good moment to celebrate God, and that’s what it was about,” Arokodare said.