Pope Francis never returned to his native Argentina after he became head of the Roman Catholic Church. But some of the faithful here believe he sent a final message home, in the unlikeliest but perhaps most appropriate of ways.
Francis was a lifelong soccer fan — and occasional youth goalkeeper — and a card-carrying member of his favorite club, San Lorenzo.
And it’s the number on that card that’s become the talk of Buenos Aires.
“It has to be destiny,” said Ramiro Rodríguez, who arrived wearing a rosary over his team shirt at a small chapel that’s the spiritual birthplace of the club, for a Mass to celebrate the life of Francis.
The number that’s causing the stir is assigned to “regular member” Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Pope’s birth name: 88235.
And as person after person has pointed out, Francis was 88 when he died, at 2:35 a.m. Argentina time on Easter Monday.
For Rodríguez, it was another otherworldly, even divine, connection.
“I went to the Vatican in 2019 and I wore my San Lorenzo (jersey), of course,” Rodríguez, 23, said. “I didn’t see him, but I knew he was there with all his energy and healing the world and that’s very significant to me.”
In a preface the late Pope contributed for an upcoming book by Cardinal Angelo Scola, he left an eloquent message about ageing and dying. “Death is not the end of everything, but the beginning of something,” he wrote.
Talking to those who knew him well, it seems likely he would also have appreciated the warmth and good nature of the desire to see a meaning in his soccer club membership number.
Omar Abboud knew how quick-witted his friend he still knew as Jorge was and how much he enjoyed a joke, but never at anyone else’s expense.
“He has a different kind of humor,” Abboud said of the Pope, “a kind of joke that was with the people, not over the people. He has an intelligent, smart humor.”
Abboud, a prominent Muslim leader in Argentina, formed The Institute of Interreligious Dialogue with then-Cardinal Bergoglio and Rabbi Daniel Goldman in 2002. They visited each other’s communities and regularly held meetings and public exchanges to break down barriers between faith groups.
Abboud said he last visited the Pope in January, when the two spoke of artificial intelligence and how it could be regulated. He said he learned much from his friend Jorge and their discussions about literature and sacred texts. And he’s just beginning to talk about him in the past tense.
“He used to be a good friend, we need him. Really, words are not enough,” he said, his voice trailing off.
Francis is on the minds of everyone we meet — from his friends to people who admired him from afar, to those to whom he had ministered.
Flowers and messages are left in tribute at his childhood home, a square where he once played kickabout with other kids, and the church where he heard the call from God to join the priesthood. That church, the Basílica de San José de Flores, has an engraving marking the date when Francis received his vocation, while in the confessional — September 21, 1953.
So many candles have been burned to honor Francis that the steps of the Metropolitan Cathedral are covered with wax.
Seven days of official mourning were declared to honor Francis in Argentina, but they won’t all be filled with sadness.
The Mass held at San Lorenzo’s chapel ended more as a pep rally and there will be another crowd for the soccer team’s next match on Saturday, a few hours after Francis is laid to rest in Rome.
The team will wear commemorative jerseys to honor the late pontiff, and there is talk a new stadium will bear the name “Papa Francisco.” In a sign of his humility, Francis once wrote he didn’t much like that idea.
A Swiss Guardsman used to keep Francis updated on match scores and San Lorenzo’s progress by leaving notes on his desk; the Pope has said he had not watched television — barring seismic events like 9/11 — since 1990.
Francis said his love for sport was not only for the competition — and San Lorenzo is only one of several teams in soccer-mad Buenos Aires, the capital of soccer-mad Argentina, whose men are the current World Cup champions — but for the participation.
He believed sports, especially team games, get young people away from their screens and shuttered virtual lives and teach them to be out in the world.
The club may have lost Regular Member 88235 but Buenos Aires will remember him.
A homemade flag at the cathedral linked Francis and San Lorenzo with a simple phrase that seems to apply to Buenos Aires today: “Mis Dos Amores,” my two loves.
Francis reciprocated that love, writing in his book “Hope:” “My homeland, for which I continue to feel just the same great, profound love. The people for whom I pray every day, who formed me, who trained and then offered me to others. My people.”
In Flores, the working-class neighborhood where Francis lived and worked, a woman left a note outside his childhood home.
It read: “You were one of us — an Argentine — and a gift to the world.”
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Peter Shalulile is on the cusp of making history. With just one more goal, the Namibian forward will surpass Siyabonga Nomvethe as the Premier Soccer League’s all-time leading goalscorer across all domestic competitions.
And yet, for all his achievements, a cloud of uncertainty lingers over his future at Mamelodi Sundowns.
The 31-year-old has been a cornerstone of Sundowns’ success in recent seasons — domestically and on the continent. This season alone, his goals have carried the Brazilians through crucial CAF Champions League clashes, including a match-winning strike against Esperance in the semi-final first leg. When the pressure has been at its peak, Shalulile has delivered.
So why then, as his contract nears its expiry, does it feel like his legacy is being treated with hesitation rather than celebration?
The Siya crew understands that teams from North Africa and Saudi Arabia are monitoring the situation closely. Sundowns, by contrast, appear sluggish in solidifying their commitment to a player who could soon become a living legend in South African football.
“It’s strange,” a source close to the situation said. “If you look at the past two CAF games – if it wasn’t for Shalulile, Downs would have been out. And yet, there’s no urgency from the club.”
Therein lies the mystery.
For a player who has broken records, scored crucial goals, led by example, and carried the team’s attack through thick and thin, the silence from the club on his contract is deafening.
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This is not a fringe player. This is the club’s all-time top scorer. This is a striker who embodies everything Mamelodi Sundowns have come to represent over the last half-decade: consistency, hunger, and continental ambition.
While much is often said about evolving team philosophies, fresh recruitment, and forward planning, those principles shouldn’t come at the cost of ignoring one’s best assets. Shalulile isn’t a player of the past—he remains a match-winner in the present.
And that makes one wonder: is Peter Shalulile being undervalued?
Football is full of stories where legends were allowed to fade away quietly, unappreciated until long after they were gone. Sundowns have always prided themselves on being different—pioneers, even. But as this contract situation drags on, it increasingly feels like a chapter from a book football fans have read too many times.
There is, of course, another layer to consider. At 31, this may be Shalulile’s last big contract. Interest from North Africa and the Middle East makes sense financially, and at this point in his career, few would begrudge him for seeking security and respect elsewhere if it isn’t guaranteed at home.
The player himself has not spoken publicly on the matter, but his silence is being filled by growing chatter among fans and insiders alike. Many supporters have voiced their concern, questioning how a club that rewards excellence so highly in other quarters could appear so casual about securing one of the most consistent goal scorers in the PSL’s modern era.
Shalulile’s contributions go beyond goals. He presses, he leads the line with endless running, he brings others into play, and above all, he carries himself with humility. He has never once made noise in the media or agitated for moves—he has simply delivered.
And now, standing on the brink of history, he faces an uncertain future.
Sundowns have a proud tradition of looking after their own. From Hlompho Kekana to Denis Onyango and more recently Themba Zwane. The club has in the past demonstrated loyalty to players who gave everything in the yellow and blue.
But with Shalulile, the delay in action speaks volumes.
Time is ticking, and other clubs are circling. If Sundowns are serious about maintaining their dominance and showing loyalty to one of their most iconic figures, the time to act is now.
Peter Shalulile’s name is about to be etched into the record books forever.
The only question that remains is whether Sundowns will ensure his legacy continues at Chloorkop — or whether another club will be the one to reap the rewards of valuing a modern-day legend.
Mamelodi Sundowns are believed to be in the final stage of negotiations to extend the contract of one of their key midfielders, according to insiders privy to information.
Sources close to the club have indicated that with certain contracts set to expire at the end of the season, the Brazilians are working hard to retain their core players.
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The insiders added that Sundowns are understood to be offering Aubrey Modiba a three-year extension to his current deal, which would begin in July 2025.
“There are over five, star players whose contracts are coming to an end in June but the talks with Aubrey Modiba are at a promising, advanced stage. It’s believed that they are talking and negotiating for a new three-year contract. Apparently all the involved parties are looking positive and it’s just a matter of time to finalise the deal,” the source told Soccer Laduma.
A second insider stated that despite external interest in Modiba, Sundowns are determined to keep him.
“As much as there has been interest in him, the club is not ready to let him go. You recall that Yanga SC of Tanzania were interested in him? But nothing worked out because the club said he was not for sale. Now they are offering him an extension of three years. That’s good, I believe, and both parties are negotiating it,” the second insider revealed.
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The 29-year-old Bafana Bafana defender joined Sundowns from SuperSport United in October 2020 on a five-year contract. With his current deal understood to be ending in June 2025, the proposed extension would lengthen his stay at the club until 2028.
This season, Modiba has featured in many matches and remains a vital part of Sundowns’ squad. In addition to his contributions at club level, he has earned many caps with Bafana Bafana.
Soccer Laduma reached out to Mamelodi Sundowns for comment on the ongoing negotiations but did not receive a response by the time of publishing.
Kaizer Chiefs striker Ashley Du Preez has highlighted the team’s inconsistent performances this season, pointing out that their struggles stem from approaching matches with different mentalities depending on the opponent.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday morning at the Chiefs Village, ahead of their Betway Premiership clash against Marumo Gallants on Saturday, Du Preez stated that the team often prepares for big games like those against Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates with greater motivation, while lacking the same hunger when facing the so-called “smaller teams.”
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“It is how we prepare in training, you know. I think each team comes out 200% against us so for us it is to get in the same position or be even more hungrier than the other teams. So, for me it is definitely about the mentality when we go into league games playing against so-called small teams like Golden Arrows, Marumo Gallants, and all that. For us, when we go and play against Sundowns or Pirates we are motivated and we want to win that specific game but then when we face the so-called smaller teams then it is like we don’t match the resilience and hunger for the game,” Du Preez told journalists.
The former Stellenbosch FC striker further emphasized the importance of having a strong Kaizer Chiefs for the league to flourish. He expressed a desire to guide the team back to its glory days.
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“We are the biggest team in Africa and every team would like to face Kaizer Chiefs. We would like to compete at the highest level with Stellenbosch, Pirates, and Sundowns who have been there and doing great. I know people would like to see Chiefs as well. You know even the league needs to have a strong Kaizer Chiefs and that’s what we are fighting for as a team and as players,” Du Preez observed.
Amakhosi are currently sitting in eighth place in the Betway Premiership table. They will host Marumo Gallants on Saturday at FNB Stadium, with the match set to kick off at 15:00.
