Listen to the full interview above in the Off The Ball Football Show podcast
Only a few years ago, Brazil striker Fred might well have been pictured falling out of nightclubs.
Now the player who is likely to lead from the front as the Selecao look to win the World Cup on home soil can be photographed walking serenely out temples with a Bible in his hand.
The 30-year-old has become a member of Athletes in Christ, an Evangelical Protestant group composed of Brazilian sportspeople.
On one hand Brazil is the world's most populous Catholic country but how does that impact on the nation's footballers?
Tonight South American football expert Tim Vickery gave us an insight in our weekly Tuesday night slot.
"Brazil is the largest Catholic country in the world but the Catholic Church has been in enormous retreat over recent decades in front of the rise of the evangelic protestant churches, especially in the working class neighborhoods that the vast majority of footballers come from," said Tim, who feels the appointment of a South American pope is also a tool to battle this trend.
Kaka against Ireland ©INPHO/Donall Farmer
"This has filtered through to the Brazilian national team. It was especially strong in the team that went to the World Cup in South Africa four years ago where the leaders of that team like Kaka and Lucio were hard line, aggressive Evangelical Protestants. They were joined by the assistant coach Jorginho who was also a very aggressive Evangelical Protestant."
Tim alluded to past conflicts between the aggressive Evangelicals and the Catholics. But is the current crop of players quite as aggressive when it comes to religion? Tim had an interesting answer for that question, given the Catholicism of the manager Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Tim also explained the possible motivation behind Fred's new found religiosity and the superstition of the Brazil side in 1958 and in Brazilian football in general, including Botafogo's insistence that a dog urinate on their right back in order to win games. Yes, really!
