Never mind Messi or Ronaldo, Jesus is becoming the biggest name at the World Cup thanks to a former pro player turned preacher.

Jesse Bradley is a pastor in Washington State at Grace Community Church. He used to be a professional soccer player and goalkeeper but had to end his career after a tragedy. 

During a video interview with Faithwire, Bradley shared how he reached his childhood dreams of playing soccer in Scotland and Africa, but a medication he was prescribed to prevent malaria nearly killed him. 

"I literally was fighting for my life for a year," says Bradley, sharing he faced psychological effects in addition to physical issues. "And in the middle of the pain, God birthed a new purpose and passion."

Bradley released a video of his story, starting off by simply talking about the World Cup and how he used to be a professional soccer player. 

"Stories are powerful; everyone has a significant story. You have a powerful story, and when you share it, we learn more about God, we appreciate God, we see how God works and how He transforms our lives."

Since releasing this video Bradley has seen an incredible response to it, including 18,000 people coming to Christ with a first-time decision. He also is teaming up with Global Media Outreach, a company leveraging technology to spread the Gospel, to ensure people are connected to a Christian community after their decision. 

"They follow up, and we help those people find a church. It’s not just decisions; it’s disciples. We all know there’s something much more significant than soccer that we need. I discovered it myself later in life, but our souls are content, and we have joy in peace when we discover relationship with [God]."

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