William Saliba Religion

What religion is William Saliba?

William Saliba is a French professional football player who is a practicing Muslim. His family name, “Saliba,” is historically a Christian Arabic/Syriac surname (meaning “cross”), which has caused some initial confusion, but Saliba himself follows Islam. William Saliba currently plays for the Premier League club Arsenal, where he earns an annual salary of £13 million. Before this, he played with the Ligue 1 club Saint-Étienne, where he played 17 games for the club across the campaign, helping Saint-Étienne reach the 2020 Coupe de France Final. Saliba has also played extensively for France on the world stage; he made his senior debut for France in 2022 and has played at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2024.

Saint-Étienne

William Saliba began playing football at the age of six, when he was coached by Kylian Mbappé’s father. In 2018, Saliba, then 18, signed a professional contract with Saint-Étienne and started training with the first team. He made his senior debut for Saint-Étienne in September 2018 during a Ligue 1 match against Toulouse. Saliba made 13 starting appearances in his first season at Saint-Étienne. During the 2019–20 season, Saliba formed a strong defensive partnership and helped Saint-Étienne reach the 2020 Coupe de France final; he missed the match as the loan agreement ended two weeks prior to the final, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Arsenal

In July 2019, Arsenal FC signed Saliba from Saint-Étienne in a deal worth around £27 million, making him one of the most expensive teenage defenders at the time. However, Arsenal allowed him to remain at Saint-Étienne on loan for the 2019–20 season so he could continue his development with regular playing time. Unfortunately, Saliba’s final season at Saint-Étienne was affected by injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused French football to shut down early. On 4 January 2021, Saliba joined Ligue 1 club Nice on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.

Return to Arsenal

After signing for Arsenal in 2019, Saliba did not immediately play for the club. Instead, he spent time developing in Ligue 1 with AS Saint-Étienne, OGC Nice, and later Olympique de Marseille. When Saliba returned to Arsenal ahead of the 2022–23 season, manager Mikel Arteta immediately included him in the starting lineup’s opening-day fixture away to Crystal Palace. He scored his first Arsenal goal against Bournemouth in August 2022 with a curled shot from the edge of the box. The strike was voted the club’s goal of the month for August.

After a successful 2022–23 season, Saliba signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal FC in July 2023, and the contract runs till 2028. After coming through Arsenal’s pre-season campaign unscathed, Saliba made his competitive first-team comeback since recovering from his back injury on 6 August, as the Gunners beat Manchester City 4–1 on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium. On 30 September 2025, Saliba later signed another new contract with Arsenal FC, extending his stay at the club until 2030. He scored his first goal of the season on 1 March 2026, in Arsenal’s 2–1 win against their west London rivals Chelsea.

International career

Saliba made his debut on the French national team in 2022, coming on as an injury replacement to Benjamin Pavard to play in friendlies against the Ivory Coast and South Africa. In November 2022, Saliba was called up to the 26-man France squad that would compete in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life

Saliba was born in Bondy, Seine-Saint-Denis. His father is of Lebanese descent, and his mother is of Cameroonian descent (Saliba holds dual French-Cameroonian citizenship through her).