Sonny Bill Williams backs ‘Moroccan brothers’ to BEAT Portugal in the World Cup

Sonny Bill Williams has thrown his support behind the Moroccan national team ahead of their huge World Cup quarter final clash against Portugal in Qatar.

The African side have captured the hearts and minds of legions of fans across the world with their brave, uncompromising style that has seen them eliminate Belgium and Spain at the tournament.

Before the shootout win over the Spaniards, Romain Saiss & Co were seen reciting the Quran and are the only Muslim-majority, Arabic-speaking country left in the tournament.

And Sonny Bill Williams, a devout Muslim, took to Twitter on Saturday to back the Moroccans to take another big scalp in Qatar.

‘In sha Allah victory awaits our Moroccan brothers tonight,’ he posted online. 

The former rugby star-turned-boxer, 37, turned his life around after converting to Islam having spent his younger days as a womaniser. 

He said how his seemingly ‘dream’ lifestyle was all a facade before Islam found him.

‘From the outside I was the picture of success but I was deeply unhappy,’ he told the Irish Times. ‘It was a facade and I was still playing some amazing football.

The African side are enjoying a magical run in Qatar and have knocked out Spain and Belgium

The 37-year-old took to Twitter to back his ‘Moroccan brothers’ to beat Portugal on Saturday

‘So it looked like I had it worked out. It was down to the choices I was making off the field. It is like Instagram now – we all put the perfect picture out there but behind that is the trials that everyone has.

‘I feel like I am still a work in progress. But at that time when everything looked perfect: I hate saying it like this but it appeared from the outside as this good looking young man who had fame and money and attention from the opposite sex and had privileges.

‘I didn’t say ‘no’ to things. I had a psychotic simplistic mindset that I am going to make it on TV and buy my mom a house with fancy wallpaper. That drove me to crazy lengths and that filtered into the party lifestyle.

‘And it was like: I was performing on the field so I can live how I want, I can have this drug, that drug, be with this woman. I’ve made it now! And when you live a life without boundaries, this is what can happen.

‘With that boundary-less life, I didn’t feel any empowerment. Now, I don’t wake up with a hangover and feeling disgusted in myself and soulless. Now, I feel a life of empowerment.’