Ahead of his first North London derby, Raheem Sterling publicly professed his religion by getting baptised.

The 29-year-old will play his first game for Arsenal against Tottenham on Sunday after completing a loan move from Chelsea.

The England international was on a desperate search for a new opportunity after being let go by the Blues.

Sterling took time off from the pitch to complete the Christian initiation, which required submerging his entire body in water, while his exclusion from international duty persisted.

Sterling knew that the gesture was a “public declaration of his faith” and “an opportunity to cleanse himself of any ego, or bad habits of the past,” according to a source close to the player, who was quoted in The Sun.

Raheem Sterling made a public declaration of his faith ahead of the north London derby

Sterling is set to feature in his first north London derby after completing a loan move from Chelsea

Mikel Arteta may give Sterling his first start at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium due to injuries and suspensions. In spite of the fact that captain Martin Odegaard appeared to have suffered a major injury during a midweek game for Norway, the Gunners manager refused to rule him out of the match. 

Declan Rice was sent off in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton just before halftime, so he will undoubtedly miss the match. 

Sterling and Arteta, with whom he collaborated during the former midfielder’s tenure as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City, have reconnected since Sterling moved to north London. 

Arteta disclosed last week how he called Sterling and offered him a chance to join Arsenal. 

“After just ten seconds of our first call, I knew we had to bring him because he really wanted it.” He informed the press. “What stage is he at in his career?” was the one thing that puzzled me. 

After ten seconds, I was aware that we wanted him here before the next set of questions.

He has reunited with Mikel Arteta, who he worked with under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City

‘What I see is hunger. He’s a player that wants to play every minute of every game.

‘You can feel it walking through the door. We are better with him. He’s going to make us better.’