Death of Pope Francis: European Glory for English clubs?

Pope Francis († 88) is dead – The head of the Catholic Church, who passed away on Easter Sunday, was surrounded by many football-related episodes and myths. He was a fan of the Argentine club San Lorenzo and is known to have been in the stadium in 1949 when they won the championship title in the country of the current world champions. He welcomed almost all football stars of his era – from Mario Balotelli to Lionel Messi. Today, we take you on a journey back in time to the Vatican and on football trips to FC Arsenal, football trips to FC Chelsea, football trips to Tottenham Hotspur, and football trips to Manchester United. 

“It will be the biggest game in the club’s history,” emphasized Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta during the press conference before the Champions League semi-final on April 29, 2025, against Paris Saint-Germain (0:1) at the Emirates Stadium, highlighting the importance of this match.

Arsenal only reached the Champions League final in 2006 and had to bow out against FC Barcelona (1:2) in Paris. With the ongoing theory that an English club wins the European Cup in the year a pope dies, things are getting tight for the Gunners.

Whether Spaniard Arteta was informed beforehand about the bizarre pattern linking English European Cup winners with the death of a pope remains unknown.

The newspaper Scottish Daily Express asked on April 22, 2025: “Could the Pope’s death be a heavenly sign for Arsenal’s Champions League glory?”

Habemus Europacup: Three more English clubs besides Arsenal can triumph in 2025

Maybe not Arsenal, but three other English clubs are still in the race to win a European title in a year a pope dies.

The top favourite is Chelsea’s star-studded squad, worth over a billion euros, competing in the Europa Conference League. Tottenham Hotspur faces underdog FK Bodø / Glimt from Norway in the semi-finals of the Europa League and can realistically hope for a final in Bilbao and their first European title in 41 years since winning the UEFA Cup against RSC Anderlecht (4:3 on penalties / 1:1 after extra time, first leg: 1:1).

Manchester United last won a European title in 2017 (Europa League, 2:0 against Ajax Amsterdam in Stockholm) and has home advantage in the second leg against local hero Athletic Bilbao. If the “Red Devils” can repeat their thrilling 5:4 extra-time victory over Olympique Lyon from the quarter-finals, a first European final since 2021 is within reach. And possibly another European title for England in a papal year.

It may be far-fetched, but the pattern holds true.

Death of a pope, then a European champion: “Spurs” start the crazy pattern

The death of a pope like Francis I, honored by former Archbishop of Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schönborn in a eulogy in Vienna’s Kronen-Zeitung (edition of April 27, 2025) (“He was the right man for his time.”), and the connection to English European Cup victories – it’s an odd but typically British combination. Dark humor.

It all started in 1963, with the death of Pope John XXIII, born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, who died on June 3, 1963. Just weeks before, Tottenham Hotspur had won the Cup Winners’ Cup final in Rotterdam against Atlético Madrid (5:1), becoming the first English club to win a European title.

What Liverpool has to do with Pope John Paul II

On August 6, 1978, Pope Paul VI (Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini) passed away. On May 10, 1978, Liverpool FC had defeated Real Madrid 1:0 in Wembley to win the European Cup, thanks to a goal by Kenny Dalglish.

The same happened in 2005 – “The Reds” won the epic Champions League final in Istanbul on May 25, 2005 (3:2 on penalties, 3:3 / 0:3) against AC Milan.

Pope John Paul II, born Karol Józef Wojtyła, died on April 2, 2005, at the age of 84 in Vatican City. His papacy saw, among other things, the end of the Cold War and the division of Germany.

The Polish pope, who served for 26 years, was a big football fan, celebrated Mass at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã Stadium and – in front of 120,000 faithful – in 1982 at Camp Nou in Barcelona. As a youth in Kraków, he was considered a talented goalkeeper and a fan of Liverpool FC.

“1978 is known as the Year of the Three Popes, when Paul VI and his successor John Paul I, who served only 33 days, both died,” wrote the Scottish Daily Express, “and although the season officially ends on July 1, 1978 still saw an English team win a European title.”

Correct. England’s record champions, Liverpool, triumphed in both the first and last year of John Paul II’s papacy.

His successor, from Germany, was named Joseph Alois Ratzinger and became Benedict XVI – the third pope from the German state of Bavaria. “We are Pope!” was the spectacular headline in BILD when he was elected on April 19, 2005.

He passed away on December 31, 2022, at the age of 95 – long after his resignation in 2013 – in Vatican City. At the end of the 2022/2023 season, Manchester City won their first Champions League title with a 1:0 win over Inter Milan in Istanbul.

Could be coincidence – but maybe