Well if you’re in the camp that believes Lionel Messi is God on earth, avert your eyes. The Pope just came out to pour cold water on Messi being a god on the pitch.

“You can’t say it and I don’t believe it. I think people say ‘he is God’ just as they say ‘I adore you.’ You have to adore only God. It’s expressions that people use. This is a god with the ball on the pitch. It’s a popular way that people have of expressing themselves. Of course it is a joy [to watch Messi play]. But he is not God.” Pope Francis | Source

I think what the Pope is getting at is the casual way people refer to something in sports as God. Which for a religious guy like the Pope, would be a problem. This was still a pretty funny quote to wake up too. The fact that someone spent their time with the Pope asking about how people refer to a football player is amazing.