Alfredo Di Stefano vs. Pope Francis.
It sounds like an unlikely rivalry on the soccer pitch, but Di Stefano claims it may have already taken place.
In his latest column for Spanish sports daily Marca, Di Stefano, the former Real Madrid icon who helped los blancos win five straight European Cups and is now the club’s honorary president, claimed he grew up in the same neighbourhood in Buenos Aires as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who was elected as the new pope last week.
Even though he was 10 years older than Pope Francis, De Stefanio claimed it wasn’t unusual for kids of all ages to play pickup games together in the old neighbourhood.
"In our neighbourhood we used to hold major football sessions that went on until it got dark, with everyone playing against each other," Di Stefano wrote in Marca. "Maybe the pope was one of the guys I played football with in the street."
We can’t know for sure how their one-on-one showdown unfolded back then, but this startling revelation does raise a burning question: Who would win a penalty shootout between Alfredo Di Stefano and Pope Francis today?
Di Stefano, of course, was one the best players of his era and is generally regarded as one the greatest stars in soccer history. But Pope Francis, in addition to being a bit younger, has God on his side.
[polldaddy poll=6972066]