Pope Francis recalled his youthful experiences with football on Sunday, telling a child during a visit to a Rome suburb that he used to play in goal because he was never much good at the sport.
"When I was your age I played football, but I was not good at football," Francis told the 11-year-old boy at the San Pier Damiani parish in Acilia, south-west of the Italian capital, as quoted by ANSA news agency.
Explaining that in his native Argentina people who are not good at football are called "pata dura" (stiff legs), the 80-year-old pontiff said: "I was a pata dura and because of this I was usually the goalkeeper, so that I did not have to move."
Despite his lack of skills, Francis is a well-known football fan, rooting for Buenos Aires-based Atletico San Lorenzo de Almagro. In a 2015 interview, he said he never watches matches on TV, but has a Swiss Guard keep him up updated on results.
