Ugo Russo, a former Rai radio commentator, recently shared a surprising anecdote during the Elleradio broadcast `Tutto il mio calcio e non solo`. His story reveals unexpected links between current and potential future pontiffs and notable figures from Italian football history.
“Jorge Bergoglio (Pope Francis) was a very distant relative of the legendary Argentinian footballer Omar Henrique Sivori, who played for both Juventus and Napoli,” Russo recounted. “Bergoglio`s mother carried the surname Sivori and was a distant cousin of Omar`s father.”
Russo continued by mentioning a potential candidate for the papacy: “Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the current Archbishop of Jerusalem, is related to a former Serie A player. Archbishop Pizzaballa is the cousin of a goalkeeper who played for Roma and Atalanta during the 1963-64 season. This particular goalkeeper was famously known for having the most difficult-to-find football sticker of that era. Amusingly, the Archbishop himself once recalled that when he collected football stickers as a child, his cousin`s was indeed the rarest one.”
This anecdote highlights the fascinating and sometimes hidden connections that exist between diverse worlds, from the highest echelons of the church to the football pitches of Serie A.