Soccer stars of past and present played in an “Interreligious Match for Peace” in Rome’s Olympic Stadium Monday. Diego Maradona and Roberto Baggio headlined the guest list with former greats Diego Simeone, Alessandro Del Piero and Carlos Valderrama also in attendance. Gianluigi Buffon, Samuel Eto’o and Andrea Pirlo were also on the bench but didn’t play.
The match was an idea that Argentina great Javier Zanetti had with Pope Francis when then met last year. Pope Francis, who is an avid soccer fan, couldn’t attend the game but spoke earlier in the day to participants and organizers, saying, “the match is an occasion for raising funds for solidarity projects, but above all [for promoting] values that draw people together, no matter what their culture or religious creed.”
Maradona played the entire 90 minutes and had the moment of the match when he sent a superb lob pass to Roberto Baggio who went on to score.
Argentina Manager Gerrardo Martino and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger put together teams featuring Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist players.
20,000 people attended the match and ticket sale profits from the match went to the "Alternative of Life" project, aiding disadvantaged children in Buenos Aires.
