‘He is Proof God Exists’: Messi Fans Respond to Pope Francis After Ridiculous Freekick Goal

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi may not be god, but his otherworldly displays every time he steps on the football field make us feel he is also definitely not human.

On Tuesday, he came off the bench in his side's hour of need to inspire the Liga leaders to battle back from 4-2 down in stoppage time to snatch a remarkable 4-4 draw at struggling Villarreal.

Messi’s freekick came in the 90th minute when he was fouled by Victor Ruiz while trying to make a run towards the Villareal box.

He neatly curled his effort towards the left of the freekick wall, and the ball went past the outstretched hands of the keeper to strike on the post and nestle into the back of the net.

Watch the goal below:

The pinpoint freecick came just two days after the five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored another insane freekick goal, a chipped Panenka-style effort towards the goalkeeper’s left-hand post against Espanyol.

The effort against Villareal, just a day after Pope Francis said Messi is good, but cannot be called god, sparked a flurry of reactions on social media.

When an interviewer had asked the Pepe if he considers it sacrilege to say that Messi is God, he had replied, “In theory, it is sacrilege. You can’t say it and I don’t believe it.

Barca coach Ernesto Valverde has acknowledged his side's dependency on Messi but showed no remorse. Speaking to reporters, he said, "Of course there is a Messi dependence, of course, it exists, he is the best in the world."