Pope Leo XIV apparently couldn’t hide his love for Argentina’s soccer team during his 12-day-long Latin American tour.
Three weeks after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, the head of the Vatican City decided to embark on a 12-day tour of South America, during which he will visit multiple countries.
He visited Argentina between November 8 and November 11, during which he visited three prominent cities – the capital city, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Luján.
However, he attracted the most attention for receiving a souvenir in the city of Córdoba.
This was a local poncho, which sported the Argentinian colors and had a Papal coat of arms. The Pope was seemingly delighted with the present too.
But what exactly made the Pope’s poncho the center of the attraction?
Football fans believe that the robe presented to the Pope is the exact same color as the farewell kit given to Lionel Messi by Adidas for his final international match on October 6 against Benin.
Interestingly, the fans are not completely wrong in making that comparison.
Instead of the regular Argentina kit, which uses multiple thin vertical stripes of white and blue, the Adidas Messi Farewell Kit features a single, thick white band running straight down the middle over a sky-blue base.
This layout closely mimics the symmetrical weave of a traditional Argentine poncho or a liturgical stole worn over a robe.
Since a similar robe was given to Pope Leo XIV during his visit to Argentina, fans couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the two costumes and express their thoughts on their social media accounts.
One user commented that the Pope understood the sentiments and gave his own tribute to the legacy of Lionel Messi. The other posted a video of the Pope receiving the poncho from the local organizers.
Pope Leo XIV has received a traditional Argentinian poncho, with his Papal Coat of Arms. He looks absolutely delighted with it too. https://t.co/H6umOQyKxs
— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) November 9, 2026
León XIV entendió todo. 🇦🇷 https://t.co/9549uOCwcy
— Bolavip Argentina (@BolavipAr) November 11, 2026
During the farewell match against Benin, Messi converted a penalty in the 71st minute into a goal, and also assisted 2 other goals as Argentina won the match 3-0.
This match brought the curtain down on a 21-year international career, which commenced on August 17, 2005, with a friendly match against Hungary at the Ferenc Puskas Stadium in Budapest.
Lionel Messi played a total of six FIFA World Cups, of which he managed to win only once in the 2022 edition, when Argentina defeated the then-defending champions, France, 4-2 in a penalty shootout.
However, the team’s attempt to give them the perfect farewell with a second consecutive World Cup was spoiled by Spanish player Ferran Torres, who scored the golden goal in the 106th minute of the match to give Spain their first FIFA World Cup since the 2010 edition.
Pope Leo XIV is currently in the final leg of his Latin America tour in the Peruvian capital, Lima. Following this, he will return to his place as the head of Vatican City in Rome.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi hasn’t completely given up on professional football. He will continue playing for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer [MLS].
