Pope's passion for football

HIS predecessor loved Mozart, but Pope Francis's passion was football, for him "the most beautiful game" and also a vehicle to educate and spread peace.

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From Argentine compatriots Lionel Messi and the late Diego Maradona to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gianluigi Buffon, Francis received the greatest stars of football at the Vatican, signing dozens of shirts and balls from around the world.

He often recounted playing as a young boy on the streets of Buenos Aires, using a ball made of rags. While admitting he was "not among the best" and that "he had two left feet", he often played goalkeeper, which he said was a good way of learning how to respond to "dangers that could arrive from anywhere".

His love of football was inseparable from his loyalty to the San Lorenzo club in Buenos Aires, where he went to watch matches with his father and brothers. "It was romantic football," he recalled.

He maintained his membership even after becoming pope and caused a minor uproar when he received a membership card from rivals Boca Juniors as part of a Vatican educational partnership. Francis kept up to date with the club's progress thanks to one of the Vatican's Swiss Guards, who would leave results and league tables on his desk.