Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church in the world has said that his compatriot Lionel Messi is not ‘God’ as described by many football loving fans.
Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all-time due to his magical feat on the field of play: combining excellent dribbles, passing and goal-scoring abilities.
Lionel Messi over the weekend did what he does best again, scoring two goals as Barcelona defeated Espanyol 2-0 in the Catalan derby. His two-goal included an unusual and seemingly impossible freekick.
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The Argentine has been trending since Saturday’s heroics and has been labelled as ‘God’ once again
But his countryman, Pope Francis has indicated that Lionel Messi is a human, not a God.
"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," Pope Francis told the Spanish TV La Sexta's show "Salvados."
"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."
Lionel Messi has netted 31 goals and set-up 12 in 27 league games and has netted 16 goals in 12 Champions League games to help Barca reach the quarterfinals.