The discussion over who is the greatest player of all time is set to continue indefinitely, but Pope Francis has weighed in.

The Pope has been the head of the Catholic Church since 2013, and as we all know, Argentina has a couple of excellent candidates for the GOAT.

The late, great Diego Maradona won two World Cups with Argentina and will always be remembered as an Argentine football star, having died in 2020 at the age of 60.

He has been joined in the pantheon of Argentina’s footballing greats by the great Lionel Messi, whom many now see as the greatest of all time after winning his seventh Ballon d’Or.

Until this year, Messi’s national team success had been inadequate to match the amount of trophies he had picked up in his club career, most notably with Barcelona, where he came through the youth team ranks.

But, of course, that issue was addressed when Messi won the World Cup in Qatar, defeating France for his first and his country’s third overall success.

As an Argentine, the Pope was asked if Messi or Maradona are the finest players of all time, but he jumped into the argument and added a third name to the list.

Pele, a Brazilian legend, was selected by Pope Francis as one of the best of all time.

In December 2022, the former striker died at the age of 82.

When asked to choose between Messi and Maradona as the best footballers of all time, the Pope told Italian TV show TG1: “I would add a third, Pele.” These are the three people I’ve been following. All three are fantastic, each with its own unique area of expertise. Messi is currently in excellent form.

“Maradona failed as a man; he slipped, and the people around him did not help him.”

“He came to see me [as pontiff] the first year.” His life ended in disaster. It’s funny how many athletes fail, even in boxing. It’s intriguing.

“Messi is absolutely correct; he is a gentleman.” Pele is the most gentlemanly of the three.

“He is a man with a huge heart.” I chatted with him and met him on a plane in Buenos Aires, and he is a wonderful human being.”