Lionel Messi is not a god – Pope Francis

Pope Francis has said that, whilst Lionel Messi is not a god, though he admitted the player is undoubtedly a great footballer. 

Pope Francis, who is from the same country with Messi, stated this after the Barcelona number 10 scored a brace in his side’s 2-0 victory over Espanyol in the La Liga over the weekend.

When asked if it was a sacrilege to call Messi “God,” thus breaking the third commandment by using the Lord’s name in vain, Pope Francis told Spanish TV La Sexta show, “Salvados”: “In theory, it’s a sacrilege.

You can’t say it and I don’t believe it. I think people say ‘he is God’ just as they say ‘I adore you.’ You have to adore only God. It’s expressions that people use. This is a god with the ball on the pitch. It’s a popular way that people have of expressing themselves. Of course, it is a joy to watch Messi play. But he is not God, the Pope said