Pope Francis Says Barcelona's Lionel Messi 'Is Very Good, but He Isn't God'

Such is Lionel Messi's extraordinary talent with a football that it's common to question whether he's human at all, but Pope Francis has had his say on whether the Barcelona talisman is a divine being.

Asked by La Sexta's Jordi Evole (h/t Marca) if it's sacrilegious to describe Messi as God, the Pope said: "In theory, it is sacrilege. You can't say it, and I don't believe it. Do you believe it?"

When Evole replied "I do," Pope Francis responded: "I don't [laughs]. People can say he is God, just as they may say 'I adore you,' but only God can be worshipped. Those are expressions from people. 'This is a God with the ball on the field' is a popular way for someone to express themselves."

On his compatriot, he added, "Of course, he is very good, but he isn't God."

Evole's TV programme, Salvados, shared the exchange between the pair on Twitter:

Messi has worked some miracles at Barcelona over the years, and on Saturday he had supporters marvelling once again when he netted a brace against Espanyol in the Catalan derby.

He broke the deadlock with a Panenka free-kick before finishing off a counter-attack late on.

His efforts saw him reach new landmarks in his illustrious career:

As they so often do, the forward's performance set social media alight:

God or not, he's the main man at the Camp Nou, and it's in no small part down to him that Barcelona hold a 10-point lead in La Liga with nine matches remaining.

The Blaugrana will hope he can also deliver his fifth UEFA Champions League title this season, all the more so after witnessing rivals Real Madrid win the tournament in each of the last three years.

He's scored 22 goals against English sides over the years, so things bode well for Barca's upcoming quarter-final against Manchester United.