Pope Francis clarified the distinction of how people refer to Lionel Messi using spiritual language.

"In theory, it is sacrilege. You can’t say it," the Pope said of when people refer to Messi as "God."

"People can say he is God, just as they may say “I adore you”, but only God can be worshipped. Those are just things people say. He is a God with the ball on the field” is a popular way for someone to express themselves. Of course, he is very good, but he isn’t God," added the Pope.