Pope Francis has warned football fans that it is sacrilege or blasphemous to refer to Barcelona star Lionel Messi as God.
The Pontiff remains a fan of his Argentinian compatriot who has produced another superhuman season with 31 league goals.
That’s the official word from the man closest to the Lord Almighty as Pope Francis clarified that the Barcelona superstar “isn’t God.”
The footy-loving Pontiff even warned fans that calling Messi God is “sacrilege”.
The divine intervention comes with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner enjoying another superb season in front of goal – netting 39 times in 37 matches – while also racking up 21 assists.
The Argentinian’s record-breaking career has led many fans to use the moniker D10S to describe him, a combination of his shirt number and the Spanish word for God.
The 31-year-old is widely recognised as the greatest of all time, but Pope Francis stopped short of comparisons with the Lord Almighty when discussing his compatriot.
In the Catholic Church, any fans that refer to Messi as God are breaking the third commandment by using the Lord’s name in vain.
Of course, (Messi) is very good, but he isn’t God
“I think people say ‘he is God’ just as they say ‘I adore you,’ but only God can be worshipped,” said Pope Francis.
“Those are expressions from people. This is a God with the ball on the field” is a popular way for someone to express themselves.”
Messi and the Argentina national team met Pope Francis in the summer of 2013 and he was among the stars to send the 82-year-old a signed shirt a year later.
It remains to be seen whether any of the Argentine’s clones could match his lasting legacy after he finished first, second and third in Barcelona’s best ever goal poll.
La Liga’s top goalscorer revealed he has been playing through the pain barrier since December but still managed to set the world alight with a wonderful free-kick.
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