Childhood memories

The Pope once played soccer with “Fetzenlaberl”

Pope Francis gave the "Corriere dello Sport" an insight into his childhood in Argentina.(Bild: AP/The Associated Press)

Pope Francis is known to be a big soccer fan. On the occasion of the centenary of the renowned Italian newspaper "Corriere dello Sport", he reminisced about his childhood memories. His favorite club, however, is "secret".

Pope Francis revealed in a message to the newspaper, which was published on Sunday, that he used to play with a ball made of rags when he was a child. Such balls were common around the world at the time. In Austria - or at least in Vienna - they were called "Fetzenlaberln".

When I think of sport and my home country Argentina, even before the big soccer stadiums like the Bombonera, I think of the time when we played soccer with a ball made of rags as children.

Papst Franziskus

So many champions started out this way, playing with friends on improvised fields between houses, the 87-year-old reminisced about his childhood.

Pope Francis and his Argentinian compatriot Lionel Messi (34) in 2013(Bild: AFP)

"Some say I'm a fan of ..."
According to Kathpress, the Pope did not want to explicitly reveal his favorite club. However, his message was mischievously ambiguous: "Some say I'm a fan of San Lorenzo. That remains a secret."

Alongside Boca Juniors and River Plate, San Lorenzo are one of the top three clubs based directly in the Argentinian capital. The neighboring suburb of Avellaneda is also home to Racing Club and Independiente in the greater Buenos Aires area.