Man City's Lewis on faith, football and helping the homeless

Manchester City's Rico Lewis and local rapper Nemzzz have joined forces to raise money for homelessness charities [Getty Images] Manchester City midfielder Rico Lewis describes himself as a man of faith who is proud of his Christian beliefs, but this wasn't always the case. "I've always loved history and one day something clicked," Lewis told BBC Sport. "I thought, why don't I learn about Jesus? Why don't I find out about the Bible? "I started reading from a place of curiosity, to investigate and as soon as I did, I think God touched my heart. It changed my life and ever since I've not looked back. "My wife was brought up believing in Jesus, but we have both increased our practice of our faith – more than we would have otherwise – because I didn't believe before. "But leaning on each other, with the same end goal, is all that matters. It has helped us a lot in our life and in our relationship." For Lewis - who announced his marriage to Ameliia took place on Tuesday - belief has manifested in an outward change, not only in his relationship but in how he perceives the world. "Since I've become a man of faith, I've become more conscious of people's suffering," he said. "I walk through Manchester, realising how many people are struggling with homelessness. It's impossible to know why each person is in the situation they're in, but I've always wanted to help those who are helpless." His home city has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the UK. A report published in December by homelessness support charity Shelter found that Manchester has nearly 10,000 people who are homeless and living in temporary accommodation, equating to one in every 61 people. Lewis decided he needed to do something about it, so, alongside local rapper Nemzzz, he decided to host a football tournament to raise money for homelessness charities in Manchester. "I was going to do something to help anyway – a donation or a food delivery service – but me and my friends have done football tournaments in the past," he said. "Bringing both together, uniting people in Manchester, and raising awareness - as well as raising money - felt the best way to accomplish our goal." With a little help from his friends Lewis assembled a starry line-up on 28 June for a seven-a-side football event that was staged at Manchester's National Speedway Stadium. Manchester City and England midfielder Phil Foden led out a team who, despite boasting the former PFA Footballer of the Year winner, were eliminated in the semi-finals. Southampton midfielder Shea Charles, coming off the back of an impressive Championship campaign, came out to support the cause alongside brother Pierce Charles. Both are former Manchester City academy players and current Northern Ireland internationals. Their side reached the final of the tournament but were ultimately beaten on penalties. Kaden Braithwaite, having captained Manchester City Under-18s to an FA Youth Cup triumph this season, was also present. There was support from across the city, too, with young Manchester United talent Shea Lacey making an appearance, impressing spectators with his fluid dribbling style and punchy ball-striking. The tournament was also a family affair, with Lewis' younger sister Sacha taking part. She is a promising young defender in the Manchester City women's set-up. The inaugural event was a big success and Lewis has high hopes it can become an annual fundraising event. "We live in a world that feels like there is more negativity than positivity and there's so much positivity I want to give back," he said. "Manchester is the best city in the world and it means a lot to me to be able to do things that can help this city. You can't change things overnight, but you can change it over years, and ideally I want to do this every year, upscale it and make the donations bigger." Hosting the event was another Manchester native in Faraaz Ghaffur, known commonly online as FG. He is a City fan, a Twitch streamer and a presenter for the club. "When Rico told me he was doing an event like this, it didn't surprise me at all," Ghaffur said. "He has no ego, he does it for the right reasons. He's a loving person that recognises he's in a very fortunate position because of the city he grew up in." Legendary manager Arrigo Sacchi once described football as "the most important of the least important things". The admirable efforts of Lewis, whose ambitions extend beyond the pitch, looking to give back to society for years to come, put the game into a similar perspective. Man City offer £10 match tickets for local residents How good is Monga and what role could he play at Man City?