By Dan Russo
Lionel Messi, the greatest soccer player in the world today, is probably also the most visible Catholic evangelist on the planet at the moment. The Argentinian native is the top star of the 2026 World Cup so far. The tournament, being held from June 11-July 19 and being played at venues across the United States, Canada and Mexico, is drawing the attention of tens of millions of people, even Americans who rarely care about the sport.
Messi, who is about to turn 40, led his country to the 2022 title and seems poised to do it again as he continues to break records along the way. On June 16, he scored the first “hat trick” in the history of the tournament, which means he was able to get three goals in a single game. Each and every time the committed Catholic scores, he makes the sign of the cross and usually points up to the sky.
He’s not the first sports star to make the sign of the cross while playing or do other things to express his faith in public, but he is by far the most famous. He is also arguably the most consistent about blessing himself during games.
His gestures aren’t the only visible signs of his faith. He has two prominent tattoos that allude to the divine. A depiction of Jesus wearing the crown of thorns is on his right shoulder and arm, which also has rosary beads on it. On his right elbow is a tattoo of a stained glass window reportedly inspired by a similar design Sagrada Familia, an ornate basilica in the center of Barcelona, Spain. The church exterior was only recently completed after decades of work.
In a 2024 interview, Messi said he believed his ability was “a gift” from God, stating: “It’s very clear to me that I was born like this because God chose me,” according to Premier Christian News. Another quote from 2024 encapsulates the athlete’s attitude toward his talent: “It was a gift (God) gave me. I tried to take advantage of it, I did everything possible to squeeze the most out of it.”
Messi’s path to soccer’s highest honors was not guaranteed. At age 10, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. He began a treatment for this that his father’s health insurance would not cover for more than a couple of years. Even as a pre-teen, Messi was being recruited by professional clubs as a prospect, but his health got in the way. Eventually, relatives in Spain arranged a try-out with a team there that was willing to pay for the treatment and he was eventually able to complete the hormone therapy.
Messi is by no means a perfect figure, but he often boldly speaks about his faith in interviews and remains humble, giving credit to God whenever he can. His joyful way of playing despite immense pressure shows his trust in God. He is providing a good example to Catholics everywhere who may hesitate to share our faith because we don’t feel qualified, fear rejection or are worried about failure.
Before traveling to the World Cup, Messi had his cleats blessed by a priest at Our Lady of Lujan Basilica in Lujan, Argentina. He wore these while scoring the hat trick. Messi has given to charity through his own foundation for many years. In honor of his recording-breaking hat trick, I challenge everyone reading this to either share your faith three times or give $3 to charity by the time the World Cup ends on July 19. If all of us did that, imagine how much good could come out of it.
Dan Russo, editor
