“Thank you for making the world a better place” - Lionel Messi pens emotional tribute on social media following death of Pope Francis

Lionel Messi penned a heartfelt tribute dedicated to Pope Francis following his death on Monday, April 21, at the age of 88. Following the Pope's death, all football matches scheduled for Monday were cancelled as a mark of respect, as confirmed by the Vatican.

Pope Francis shared his roots with the Rozario-born Lionel Messi, as he hailed from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was born to Italian immigrant parents as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936 and elected as the Pope in 2013. He was the first Latin American to become the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and also the first one from outside Europe in more than a millennium.

After Pope Francis's death, Lionel Messi took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message for the Catholic leader. He shared an image with the Pope taken in 2013 in Rome ahead of a friendly game between Argentina and Italy. The caption read (translation via Google Translate):

"A different Pope, close, Argentine…RIP Pope Francis. Thank you for making the world a better place. We will miss you."

Lionel Messi is one of the greatest Argentine players of all time. He led his country to three consecutive trophies, including the 2021 and the 2024 Copa America titles, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He currently plies his trade for MLS side Inter Miami.

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When Pope Francis commented on Lionel Messi's 2022 World Cup triumph with Argentina

Messi lifting the World Cup with Argentina - Source: Getty

In an interview with La Nacion (h/t beIN Sports), the late Pope Francis commented on Argentina winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. After a 3-3 draw, La Albiceleste beat France 4-2 on penalties to win their third World Cup title under Lionel Messi's leadership.

"I was meeting with five Alitalia pilots and their wives. They came to greet me, and we started chatting around 4 p.m. (...) When I came back, they told me it was 3–2 or 3–1, I can’t remember. Later, I found out we won on penalties. That made me reflect on the Argentine psyche," the Pope said.

The late Roman Catholic leader added:

"Maybe this doesn’t have a scientific basis, but I’ll say it anyway. We Argentines love a strong start, but sometimes we lack the consistency to finish the job. We were happy to win the first half and felt the match was already ours. But no, you have to fight until the very end. And we had to battle through penalties against both the Netherlands and France. We could benefit from a steady rhythm of progress, without getting bored, without giving up."

Lionel Messi scored twice during the World Cup final. His first goal was from the penalty spot. The second one came during extra time to give his side a 3-2 lead before Kylian Mbappe completed a hat-trick by converting from the penalty spot again.

La Albiceleste eventually secured the 4-2 victory on penalties. Messi won the Golden Ball during the tournament for his performance.