Everton and Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana gives fascinating insight into his routine during Ramadan

Everton midfielder Amadou Onana has given fans an insight into his routine during Ramadan while on international duty with the Belgium national team.

The holy month of Ramadan began on Sunday, March 11, 2024 and will end on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

As explained by the organisation Muslim Hands, Ramadan is a month of fasting and abstaining from things considered to be impure for the mind and body.

Those partaking in Ramadan abstain from food, drink and impure thoughts between the hours of sunrise (Fajr) and sunset, allowing them instead to focus on prayer and connecting with Allah (SWT).

The organisation say that the act of fasting "allows the individual to understand the pain and suffering of millions around the world who live their lives in poverty and famine."

They also say it will leave the participant feeling "more grounded and grateful for all that Allah (SWT) has given them."

Image credit: TikTok/itsonana

Most of the world's estimated 1.8 billion muslims have observed Ramadan in some form, including Amadou Onana, who filmed a day in the life during the holy month.

As seen in the footage below, the Everton midfielder begins his day by waking up at 4:23am.

"As you can see my alarm is pretty early," he says. "I'm struggling to get out of bed but it's time to get out of bed and get some food. Shout out to the chef for waking up and making the food, by the way."

He goes on to pray before going back to bed, and then wakes up for training at 11am.

Then, after a session in the gym, Onana sits with his Belgium teammates while they eat lunch. "Obviously I was at the table just for vibes," he says. "As you can see, everyone is enjoying the food.

"I'm here, struggling on my own and people are eating in front of me... I'm joking. You've got to do what you've got to do. It's all love."

You can check out the rest of the video below:

Speaking to Everton's official website, Onana gave a further insight into observing Ramadan.

"I feel like faith gives you a different type of strength - mental strength, physical strength," he said.

"I also think there are jobs that are way harder than being a professional football player and those people are observing Ramadan as well so, for me, I just feel blessed.

"As I say, nothing much has changed for me - I don't feel weaker, in fact, the opposite I feel stronger. It's just a normal thing for me."

Topics: Everton, Belgium, Premier League

Jack Kenmare

Senior Journalist at SPORTbible with a passion for long-form journalism. Almost 10 years’ experience across online and print.

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