Fernando Romero Nuñez Argentine football star Lionel Messi bid farewell to Pope Francis with a post on his Instagram account, where he highlighted the pontiff’s closeness and his will to change the world.
“A different kind of Pope, one that felt closer to us, an Argentine one,” wrote Messi, who shared a photo of one of his meetings with the head of the Catholic church.
“RIP Pope Francis. Thanks for making the world a better place. We will miss you,” he wrote.
Messi first met the Pope in 2013, ahead of a friendly match between Argentina and Italy. The Pope hosted both squads and gave each team captain — Messi and Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon — a branch of olive as a symbol of peace.
Sports figures give Pope Francis a last goodbye
Argentine F1 driver Franco Colapinto also shared a message on his Instagram account, lauding the Pope as “a leader who inspired us to be better people.”
Former ATP tennis world number one Rafael Nadal also shared his condolences on his X account.
“Today is a sad day. I would like to express my sincere condolences on the passing of Pope Francis. May he rest in peace,” he wrote.
Gianni Infantino, the president of football’s world governing body FIFA, also posted a message for Pope Francis, saying he was “deeply saddened” over his passing.
“I was privileged enough to spend some time with him on a couple of occasions, and he always shared his enthusiasm for football and stressed the important role our sport plays in society,” he wrote.
