Messi, San Lorenzo bid farewell to football fan Pope Francis

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Argentine football great Lionel Messi thanked Pope Francis Monday for "making the world a better place" as the late pontiff's favorite club, San Lorenzo, hailed his decades-long "passion" for the team.

"RIP Pope Francis," Messi wrote on Instagram following the death of his fellow countryman -- the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere.

"Thank you for making the world a better place. We will miss you," the footballer said in a post with a photo of him with the pope.

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Lionel Messi pays tribute to fellow Argentinian Pope Francis. Instagram/Messi

San Lorenzo, meanwhile, adorned its home page with a large photo of a smiling pope under the club's blue-and-red striped emblem, and the words: "Goodbye forever, Holy Father!"

"An honorary member of our club, his passion for San Lorenzo always moved us especially, and it unites us in constant prayer for his soul," the team said in a statement dotted with photos of the pontiff holding, or posing with, San Lorenzo regalia.

It also paid tribute to Francis as "a thoughtful, open-minded, cultured man completely committed to his convictions and worldview."

The pope has followed San Lorenzo -- founded by a priest in 1908 -- since childhood, when he was known as Jorge Bergoglio.

A card-carrying club member, as archbishop, he celebrated mass in the team chapel in Buenos Aires for several years to mark San Lorenzo's anniversary.

Several jerseys of his beloved San Lorenzo were displayed at the Vatican when he became pope.

Last year, a delegation led by club president Marcelo Moretti visited Pope Francis and proposed naming the team's future stadium after him.

"Moved, the Holy Father accepted without hesitation," the club said. Construction is to begin this year.

Once asked to pick between Argentine greats Messi and Maradona as the greatest player ever, the pope opted for a third option: Brazilian star Pele, who he described as "a man of heart."

© Agence France-Presse