The world of football is also crying one of his honorable representatives in the person of Pope Francis, who died Monday at the age of 88. Lover of the round ball from an early age in Argentina, the sovereign pontiff has not lacked the opportunity to receive football stars in the Vatican since his election in 2013 or to organize a “match for peace” at the Olympic stadium in Rome with the idols of Calcio but also his compatriots Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. Even if the first pope named Franciscus was a great admirer of Pelé.
A native of Buenos Aires in 1936, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was a big supporter of San Lorenzo, one of the clubs in the capital, and was even on the lawn to celebrate the title of Champion of Argentina in 1946. The priest then lived the coronation of his country with 1978 and 1986, with Diego Maradona in number 10 star, but never worn ” de Oro ”in his heart.
“Maradona is a big one, but as a man, he failed. He was lost by those who praised him but could not really support him ”replied Pope Francis in 2023 in an interview with RAI.
Questioned by the Italian press on the two legends of Argentinian football Maradona and Messi, Pope Francis had taken everyone in court by paying tribute to a Brazilian: “Pelé. These are the three that I followed the most ”.
Pelé, “A man with a big heart”
Because Pope Francis did not really want to highlight Lionel Messi either. His answer on “La Pulga” led to a magnificent tribute to Pelé: “It is absolutely correct. A real gentleman. But for me, among these three, the Grand Gentleman is Pelé. A man with a big heart. I already told him about a plane bound for Buenos Aires. We had a wonderful conversation. He is someone of immense humanity. But the three are big in their ways. »»
The former Jesuit leader of Argentina was visibly marked by the world coronations of the Seleçao. King Pelé is the only player in history to have won the World Cup three times, in 1958 in Sweden as a young prodigy of 17, in 1962 in Chile (but being injured in the second match) and in 1970 in Mexico by being the first world superstar (with a goal and a decisive pass in the final against Italy).
