According to reports, the 12-year tenure of Pope Francis at the Vatican came to an end this morning, and the leader of the Catholic world, known as the most football-loving Pope, passed away. Lionel Messi, the captain of the Argentina National Team, who had several meetings with Pope Francis, also reacted to his passing.

The Argentine football superstar reacted to the passing of Pope Francis by sharing a story and posting a picture of himself with him, writing: “A different, accessible, and Argentine Pope; may your soul rest in peace, Pope Francis. Thank you for making the world a better place. We will miss you.”

It is worth mentioning that the image of Messi’s meeting with Pope Francis dates back to 2013 when the Argentine superstar was at the peak of his career with Barcelona and visited the Pope a year before the start of the World Cup.

This was when members of the Argentina National Team and the Italy National Team simultaneously visited Pope Francis and presented him with gifts.

Additionally, in 2018, Messi was supposed to meet Pope Francis in Rome, but the training schedule set by then-Argentina National Team coach Jorge Sampaoli prevented this meeting from taking place.