Was it destiny? Fans spot powerful links between Pope Francis' love of soccer and his death
Pope Francis, who died April 21, was a longtime member of the San Lorenzo soccer team in Buenos Aires. Did his card number foretell his time of death?
Pope Francis remained a soccer fan during his time at the Vatican and some in his home country of Argentina think the pope made a set piece out of his passing.
A fan of the San Lorenzo de Almagro football club in his hometown Buenos Aires, Pope Francis literally remained a card-carrying supporter of the club. The number on his card: 88235.
The numbers coincide with the age of Pope Francis at his death (88) and his time of death, which the Vatican said was 7:35 a.m. (2:35 a.m. local time in Buenos Aires).
Many fans of the pope and soccer called out the connection on social media. "He died at 88 years old, at 2:35am (in Buenos Aires, 0535 GMT) and was member 88235. It really caught my attention," wrote one San Lorenzo fan on X.
"It has to be destiny,” Ramiro Rodríguez, who wore a San Lorenzo team shirt (along with a rosary) to an April 25 mass to celebrate the pope's life, told CNN.
San Lorenzo de Almagro confirmed the pope's membership number to Reuters. The card bears the name of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the pope's name at birth in 1936.
"The pope leaves an unbreakable legacy," San Lorenzo Club president Marcelo Moretti told Reuters. "For all San Lorenzo fans, he was a source of great pride. It is a very sad day."
Moretti met Francis several times, most recently last September to ask permission to name a new stadium after him in the Boedo neighborhood where the club is based. "He accepted, with great emotion," Moretti told Reuters.
The team will wear special commemorative jerseys to honor Pope Francis in its April 26 match.
"An honorary member of our club, his passion for San Lorenzo always moved us especially, and unites us in a constant prayer for his soul," the club posted on its website.
Pope Francis hosted Maradona, Messi, Ronaldhino
Although Pope Francis never returned to Argentina after becoming pope in 2013, he did host Argentine soccer royalty at the Vatican: Diego Maradona, who died in 2020, said Pope Francis had restored his Catholic faith after they met in 2014.
Lionel Messi, who met the pope in 2013, paid tribute to on the social network X, posting a picture of the pope accepting an olive tree from him. He called Pope Francis, “a different, approachable, Argentine pope" and thanked him for "making the world a better place."
Brazilian great Ronaldhino posted a picture of him presenting Pope Francis with a jersey on Instagram. “Rest in peace, Pope Francis," he wrote.
Pope Francis "was the most football-loving Pope in all of history," posted Santiago Ravidlas, a journalist in Paraguay.
Mike Snider is a reporter on Paste BN’s Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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