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Ronaldinho was widely considered a footballing deity during his playing days with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, but he was in the company of a stronger religious presence this week.

The 2002 World Cup winner with Brazil met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday, who is renowned as being a huge football fan.

Ronaldinho greeted the Pontiff during a meeting with the Scholas Occurrentes, an educational organisation founded by the Pope.

But the 35-year-old Ronaldinho is not the first big name in football who the Pope has been seen rubbing shoulders with.

The Argentinian, who is a known San Lorenzo supporter, has previously met with European heavyweights Bayern Munich and Juventus. 

He met the German side in October 2014 and was presented with a Bayern home shirt, which had his name and the number 1 on the back.

Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer handed him the strip in a frame, only a few months after they lifted the World Cup with Germany in Ronaldinho's home country.

A year earlier, Pope Francis met his fellow countryman and former Manchester City and United striker Carlos Tevez.

He was playing for Juventus at the time, and gave the Pontiff a signed Juventus shirt with 'Tevez 10' on the back.