With the FIFA World Cup set to begin on June 11, Pope Leo XIV shared a reflection on football that goes beyond winning. He highlighted the importance of learning to work as a team as a lesson for life. “Football also helps us remember something very important: that life is not a race to be lived in a solitary way, it is something that is played as a team and we have to learn to run together,” the Pontiff said on June 10. The remarks came during a meeting with members of diocesan charity and assistance organizations at the Church of St. Augustine in Barcelona.
Answering questions from Renzo, a six-year-old boy who asked if he liked football, the Pope added: “Someone who may be a star, but who never passes the ball, doesn’t let others get into the game, is probably going to lose.” At the start of his talk, the Holy Father said he currently plays tennis, but played American football in his youth. He also recalled his time as a missionary in Peru. “When I was in Trujillo, I played soccer, in defense, if you want to know, I wasn’t a great goal scorer,” he recounted. “A little sport is good for everyone; you have to find ways to, let’s say, maintain and stay in good health: body, mind, and soul. So, that has definitely been a part of my life,” he stated.
The Pope recalled that the first World Cup he really followed with interest was the 1982 tournament in Spain, where Peru qualified and Italy won. He mentioned Paolo Rossi’s inspiration and Marco Tardelli’s famous goal and celebration against West Germany in the final. “When I was first in Rome where I experienced my first World Cup, in 1982 which was here in Spain. Then, in Peru with the seminarians I followed the local teams a lot; but I also played with the seminarians,” he said. He ended by connecting sports to the social work of Church communities in Barcelona, describing them as a team working together. “I want to acknowledge and congratulate all that you are doing here,” he concluded.