BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Pope Francis’ love for soccer was a notable feature of his tenure as the leader of the Catholic Church.
As a lifelong fan of the Argentine football team San Lorenzo, he shared the sentiment that soccer is the world’s most beautiful sport. However, Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, also drew upon the sport’s values of camaraderie, community, and teamwork to counter the growing trend of individualism in society.
“Soccer is a team sport. You can’t enjoy it alone,” Pope Francis mentioned during an assembly with Italian youth, soccer players, and coaches at the Vatican in 2019.
“Played in this spirit, it can nurture both the mind and heart in a society increasingly driven by individualistic tendencies,” he said.
From a young age, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who was born in the Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires, spent countless hours playing soccer with friends in the streets and on makeshift fields known as “potreros.”
His own assessment of his skill was modest; he once revealed in his autobiography “Hope” that his playing ability earned him the nickname “hard foot.”
Like his family, he pledged his loyalty to San Lorenzo, a club that started its journey under the guidance of priest Lorenzo Massa in 1908, and whose fans are affectionately called “the crows” in reference to the founder’s black cassock.
As a young boy, Francis was captivated by San Lorenzo’s dynamic playstyle during their celebrated 1946 championship win.
Even in his final years, he could recall the entire lineup. San Lorenzo achieved a significant milestone by securing the Copa Libertadores in 2014, just a year after Francis ascended to the papacy. To honor him, the club’s board of directors and a group of players took the trophy to the Vatican.
Subsequently, the club decided to name their prospective new stadium after Pope Francis, who consistently supported the team as paying member No. 88,235.
In a notable discussion concerning soccer’s most legendary player, Pope Francis offered a unique perspective in a 2023 interview with Italy’s RAI television.
Faced with the choice between Argentine icons Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, each a World Cup champion from different eras, Francis brought another legend into the mix. “I will add a third,” he stated. “Pelé.”
He had previously met Pelé, a devout Catholic and three-time World Cup victor, before becoming pope.
As the pontiff, he later met both Maradona and Messi at the Vatican. “Maradona, as a player, was great. But as a man, he failed,” Francis reflected on the 1986 World Cup hero, citing Maradona’s struggles with addiction and health, along with the exploitation he faced from those around him.
In contrast, Francis described Messi, who claimed the World Cup trophy in 2022, as “very correct” and a true gentleman. “But for me, among those three, the great gentleman is Pelé,” he concluded.
In a message delivered during a ceremony honoring Pelé in Rio de Janeiro a year after Pelé’s passing in 2022, Francis praised the Brazilian legend, saying, “many of the virtues necessary for sports, like perseverance, stability, and temperance, align with Christian virtues. Pelé undoubtedly embodied these positive traits in sports and in life.”
Despite his deep passion for soccer, Pope Francis refrained from watching matches on TV, honoring a vow he made to the Virgin of Carmen in 1990 to avoid television.
Instead, he relied on radio broadcasts for updates on soccer events while he was in Argentina. Once in Rome, it was the Swiss Guard who provided him with updates on San Lorenzo’s and Argentina’s match outcomes.
He discovered through them that Argentina had claimed their third World Cup title in Qatar, defeating France via penalty kicks.
While fervent about the match, Francis frequently condemned the fanaticism and violence that can overshadow the sport.
He urged top-tier players to retain humility and remember their roots. “Don’t forget where you came from. Those fields in the outskirts, those places of prayer, and those small clubs,” he advised players during his speech in 2019.
“Always cherish your history of sacrifices, victories, and battles,” Francis continued.
“Achieving greatness in life is a victory for everyone.”