Players can take advantage of league-sanctioned halts in play to break their fasts. ProShots/Icon Sport, via Getty Images

Muslim professional soccer stars once faced pressure to avoid daily fasts during Ramadan.

Now, players in some European leagues benefit from custom diets, fast-friendly practice schedules and league-approved breaks. It’s a sign of the increasing prevalence — and the soaring value — of the sports’ Muslim stars.

Lives lived: Maryse Condé, a titan of Francophone literature, died at 90.