Victor Olatunji Celebrated the goal by lifting his jersey to reveal an undershirt with the inscription, “I am a Chosen, who are you?”
Nigerian striker Victor Olatunji made a remarkable UEFA Champions League debut, contributing both a goal and an assist in Sparta Prague’s commanding 3-0 victory over Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday.
Olatunji doubled Sparta Prague’s lead in the 42nd minute, finding the back of the net before assisting Qazim Laçi in the 58th minute for the team’s third goal.
Olatunji’s impressive debut earns him a spot among the select group of African players to have scored and assisted in their first Champions League appearance.
According to a football stats platform, Opta Joe, Olatunji is the third African player, and the first Nigerian, to score and assist on his UEFA Champions League debut, joining Daniel Cousin (Rangers vs Lyon, 2007) and Serge Aurier (PSG vs Shakhtar Donetsk, 2015) in this elite group.
To celebrate his goal, Olatunji lifted his jersey to reveal an undershirt with the inscription, “I am a Chosen, who are you?”—a nod to a recent viral trend that has sparked discussions on social media.
The trend gained traction after videos of testimonies shared by members of The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries went viral.
The testimonies led to widespread online engagement, with many social media users parodying them.
However, the leadership of the church has refuted claims that the viral videos represent the true essence of their testimonies, stating that some of them have been doctored and taken out of context to mock their faith.
They clarified that the testimonies occurred in dreams and emphasised that people should be cautious of misleading content online.
HOWEVER BASE ON THE RECENT TREND..
Chosen member claims lion rescue from kidnappers, church dismisses video as doctored
A member of The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries has claimed that a lion miraculously saved him from kidnappers.
The member shared his testimony in a video that went viral on Monday. He recounted, “Something touched my back, lifted me like an aeroplane, and carried me to the expressway. When I landed, I turned to see what had carried me—it was a lion. The lion then raised its paw, pointed me in a direction, and said ‘bye-bye’ as I went.”
In another viral testimony, a female Chosen member also claimed to have fought off armed robbers, saying she miraculously seized their AK-47 rifles and secured the arrest of three of the robbers. Another male member recounted surviving a kidnapping, machete attacks, and gunshot wounds “without injury”.
These extraordinary testimonies sparked criticism online, with many Nigerians accusing the church of staging the events.
This led to a social media trend, the “I am a Chosen Challenge,” where users mock the testimonies.
One user on X.com, Liberate Africa, tweeting as #DamilojuJLT, wrote, “This Chosen issue is both funny and tragic. It’s madness. How can we progress scientifically when people believe lions are now transporting humans? I’m saddened by this.”
Another user, #Chuc__kki, tweeted, “If the God of Chosen is really doing these things, even the attackers would be joining the church to testify.”
In response to the controversy, The Lord’s Chosen Church on Tuesday dismissed the viral videos, claiming they had been doctored.
Pastor Chidi Louis, Head of Public Relations and Media for the church, described the footage as a deliberate attempt to discredit their work.
“Nigerians should visit the Church’s platform to hear the complete testimonies. The woman’s account, for instance, was about a dream, not a real-life event. The video was edited to mislead people,” Louis said.
He criticised bloggers for manipulating the footage, calling them “wicked and devilish” for ridiculing the work of God.
The church urged the public to disregard the viral clips and verify testimonies through official channels.
This is not the first time the church has faced controversy over miraculous claims.
Pastor Chidi Louis, Head of Public Relations and Media for the church, condemned the edited footage as an intentional effort to undermine their mission.
He urged Nigerians to seek the complete testimonies on the church’s official platform, emphasizing that the viral video was misleading and manipulated. Louis denounced bloggers for their wicked and devilish actions in ridiculing the work of God.
The church advised the public to disregard the viral clips and encouraged them to verify testimonies through official channels. This incident is not the first time the church has faced controversy surrounding miraculous claims.
