Pope Leo XIV is travelling through South America on an ITA Airways aircraft whose name has caught the attention of Argentine football supporters, according to Canal26. The plane is named after a former Italian midfielder who was part of the 2006 World Cup-winning squad and later spent six months playing for the Xeneize, the outlet reports.
Canal26 notes that the player had long wanted to wear the Boca Juniors shirt, and that his brief spell with the club fulfilled that ambition. The detail has given the papal journey an unexpected football angle for local fans, the outlet adds.
The naming is the only detail about the aircraft reported in the source material. The broader context of the visit, including preparations for the pope's transfer from Uruguay to Buenos Aires, is covered in separate reporting from Canal26 and other Argentine outlets.
What to watch next: whether the airline or the Vatican comments publicly on the aircraft's name, and how the pope's arrival in Buenos Aires unfolds.