Head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis has named late football icon Pele as his favourite footballer.
In a commemorative event for World War II soldiers, Francis was asked to choose between Messi and the late Maradona.
The 86-year-old replied that Pele is his favourite, citing the late Brazilian’s humility as the reason behind his choice.
Speaking on the matter, Francis said: “I would add a third, Pele. They are the three I have followed.
“All three are great, each with his speciality. At the moment Messi is very good.”
He added, “Maradona as a man failed, poor thing, he slipped, the people around him didn’t help him. He came to see me the first year [I was pontiff]. [His life] ended badly. It’s funny, many sportsmen end badly, even in boxing. It’s curious.”
“Messi is very correct, he is a gentleman. Among these three, the greatest gentleman is Pele. He is a man with a very big heart. I spoke to him, I met him on a plane in Buenos Aires, and he is a man of great humanity
Pele, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento of Brazil began playing for Santos at age of 15 and the Brazil national team at 16. During his international career, he won three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970, the only player to do so and the youngest player to win a World Cup at 17.
In 2021, Pelé was diagnosed with colon cancer.[222] He underwent surgery the same month, and afterwards was treated with several rounds of chemotherapy.
Pelé died on 29 December 2022, at the age of 82, due to multiple organ failure,
