Asked whether he needed to win the World Cup to be considered better than Maradona and among the best ever, Messi replied, “The truth is that I thank God for giving me everything. He’s given me everything. To close out my career with this — even after the last few years — is impressive.”
A native of Argentina, Messi moved to Spain to join Barcelona’s youth academy, known as La Masia, as a child. In 2004, Messi made his debut with Barcelona, where he went on to become the best player of his generation. He signed with French club Paris Saint-Germain two years ago after Barcelona was forced to sell him off after experiencing financial troubles.
Scoring goals aren’t the only thing that have propelled Messi throughout his career. Faith has played a role in his personal life.
That’s not to say Messi and his Catholic faith have not made news before.
Messi ran afoul of church officials in 2017 pertaining to his wedding. An Argentine diocesan official was forced to clarify that the local archbishop had not denied a sacramental Catholic wedding to Messi and his then-girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo. Instead, the archbishop forbid that a Catholic wedding for the couple be celebrated in a casino chapel. Instead, the archbishop forbid that a Catholic wedding for the couple be celebrated in a casino chapel. In the end, Messi and Roccuzzo never had a Catholic wedding (the local church in the Argentine city Rosario proved too small) and they opted for just a civil service.
That same year, Messi told TyC Sports that if Argentina captured the 2018 World Cup, he would celebrate by running 30 miles from his boyhood home in Rosario to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of San Nicolas.
The run never happened after Argentina failed to win the World Cup that summer. There’s no word whether Messi will make good on that promise following his exploits in Qatar.
Messi was the focus of news coverage in 2019 when Pope Francis, a soccer fan and fellow Argentine, was asked about the player’s abilities. The pope, in an interview with Spanish news program Salvados, praised Messi as an athlete — but criticized those who hail him as a god.
CONTINUE READING: “Lionel Messi Leads Argentina To World Cup Glory, Thanks God For Success In Epic Final” by Clemente Lisi at Religion Unplugged.
