Although higher powers were on the side of Diego Maradona in 1986, but in 2014 Lionel Messi was on the same team with the Pope.
The captain of the Argentine national football team Lionel Messi will take part in a charity match, organized by Pope Francis. The official Vatican has confirmed that the game is scheduled for September 1, and it will be held at the Stadio Olimpico stadium in Rome.
It is worth noting that in addition to Messi, other world football legends will appear on the football field on September 1. The list of invited stars included Italian footballers Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon, as well as former Chelsea team member Samuel Eto'o and Japanese Yuto Nagatomo. Zinedine Zidane, now the coach of Real Madrid, as well as Roberto Baggio and recently retired Javier Zanetti will also take part in the match.
By the way, it was Sanetti who owned the idea of organizing a kind of sporting event that would "bring together representatives of different religions." The footballer voiced his proposal to the Pope last year during a meeting between the Argentine national team and Francis, who is also a native of this country and even received an Argentine passport.
“I am very happy to offer my help in organizing the International Match for Peace. In April 2013, Pope Francis shared with me the idea of creating a friendly moment between different religions. Since then we have put a lot of effort into organizing an amazing night of excellent football and a charity event at the same time, "said Sanetti, who once headed Inter football club.
The current head of the Catholic Church is an ardent football fan who rarely misses a chance to cheer for the team of his home country. All proceeds from the sale of tickets for such a star match will go to charity. They will be donated to Scholas Occurrentes and PUPI, which specialize in helping children from disadvantaged families.
The organizers of this event hope that the news about the participation of the great Argentine football player will attract an impressive number of spectators. The Vatican also does not deny the possibility of further holding such charity matches. However, whether it is worth implementing these plans will become known only after the September game.
Not so long ago, in one of his interviews, Sanetti told reporters that he was always sure that one day Messi would become one of the most significant figures in world football history. In 2006, the legendary footballer just started to demonstrate his skills and talent, but then it became clear that Messi was still too young and lacked experience. But over the past four years, Lionel has grown significantly professionally. Today, he is the captain of the Argentine national team, which fought with dignity for the World Cup last month, but nevertheless lost to its opponents - the German national team. But despite the defeat of Argentina in the final of the World Cup, the merits of the captain of the national team were highly appreciated.
