North London Derby: Victor Wanyama on faith and the Premier League

Tottenham Hotspur’s Victor Wanyama will wake up on Sunday and he will pray.

It will not be a one-off act of worship, a plea for a helping hand on the day he and his teammates face their fiercest rivals Arsenal in the Premier League.

His faith is all-encompassing, it helps him as a man and as a footballer.

“Sometimes it fills me up,” the 25-year-old Christian tells CNN Sport. “Not only mentally, but physically, as well. You feel the spirit.

“It’s important to have faith and it also plays a big part in my career.”

When the midfielder reads one or two lines from the Bible, before a match or even during quiet moments, he feels “great.”

During his three seasons at Southampton – one of many clubs providing spiritual support to their players – the Kenyan would often visit the club’s chaplain to talk about faith and football.

“We would talk about how you can have the relationship [between faith and football] and talk about how football can change people,” says Wanyama, who left the Saints last summer in a $14 million move to title-chasing Tottenham.

Last year he contributed to a book which interviewed 20 leading footballers, such as Kwadwo Asamoah of Juventus and Kaka of Orlando City, who talked about how their faith both on and off the pitch.

Victor Wanyama (right) puts pressure on Crystal Palace's Andros Townsend

READ: Xavi’s dream is to coach Barcelona

READ: ‘Messi the greatest ever’

From Kenya to the Premier League

Football is a sport which has not only transformed Wanyama’s life but, like his faith, was a fundamental part of his upbringing in Nairobi.

The son of a footballing father, the defensive midfielder played with his three brothers, the oldest of whom, Mariga – four years Victor’s senior – would go on to become the first Kenyan to play in Italy’s Serie A, Spain’s La Liga and the Champions League, winning Europe’s elite competition with Inter Milan in 2010.

Victor Wanyama, a Manchester United fan as a boy, initially followed in his brother’s footsteps, training with Swedish first division side Helsingborgs as a 14-year-old while his big brother made an impression on the first team.

But, eventually, the man who made his international debut as a 15-year-old created his own path, as many expected he would, first in Belgium’s first division Beerschot and then in Scotland with Celtic.

In 2013, he joined Southampton to play under current Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, a man whom he describes as a father figure, and he made a big impression in one of Europe’s premier leagues.

His impact was such that Pochettino came calling again after the highly rated manager had moved to Tottenham, signing the midfielder last summer to add ballast to the midfield of a youthful Spurs side.

The Kenyan could end his first season in north London with a Premier League title. Although Chelsea are favorites, Pochettino’s men are just four points the leaders with five games remaining.

‘Manager has transformed everything’

Victor Wanyama has played under Mauricio Pochettino at both Southampton and Spurs

A hard-fought victory against Crystal Palace Wednesday moved Tottenham to 74 points, surpassing the club’s best Premier League points total of 72, set in the 2012-13 season.

“Anything is possible, we just have to go on game-by-game and we’ll see at the end of the season,” said Wanyama of his team’s chances of pipping Chelsea to the title.

“The manager has transformed everything at the club and everyone is thinking at a different level now because everyone thinks we need to fight for bigger things. That’s what we are doing and I think we are on the right track.”

Wanyama describes Pochettino as a “great manager” and says he can speak to the 45-year-old about anything.

“He speaks to us not only about football, but also about life in general,” says the midfielder.

“We speak about everything. He wants to help you and make you a better man. Whenever I feel like I want to talk to him, or he feels like he wants to talk to you, he’s always available for us and makes you want to fight for him.

“And not only for him, but for each other, so we fight for our teammates, for the manager, for everyone at the club.”

Will Tottenham finish above Arsenal in the Premier League? Have your say on CNN Sport’s Facebook page

‘One of the biggest games of the season’

On Sunday, Tottenham host sixth-placed Arsenal, their near neighbors and a team also fighting to secure the top-four finish that would ensure Champions League qualification.

Victory for Spurs would guarantee they finish above the Gunners for the first time in the Premier League era.

And it would also deny Arsenal fans their “St Totteringham’s Day” – a now annual Arsenal celebration held on the day that Spurs finishing higher than them becomes a mathematical impossibility.

Visit CNN Sport for more news and videos

“Everyone is expecting a tough game,” says Wanyama of the derby. “It will be a great game for both teams. Also, it will be a nice game to play.

“The derby is a big game and I see it as one of the biggest games in the season.”