"Sell the gold ceilings in the Vatican if you are worried about the poor children" - Maradona's interesting story with Pope John Paul II

Diego Maradona once accused Pope John Paul II of showing him a 'total lack of respect' and challenged the Pope to sell the ornate ceilings in the Vatican to feed the world's poor.

The Argentine football legend's interesting story with the Pope in 2000 has come to light following his death on Wednesday at the age of 60.

Maradona was upset that Pope John Paul gave him the same Rosary as everyone else and not a special one when they met in Rome 20 years ago.

This fact seems to have greatly upset the Argentine, which explained a subsequent outburst against the head of the Catholic Church.

"I've been to the Vatican and I've seen the gold ceilings. And then I hear the Pope saying that the Church was concerned about poor children".

"Really? Sell ​​the ceilings, dear! This is nothing for you. You were just a goalkeeper", said Maradona, reports Telegraph.

Maradona reinforced his views when he returned to the Vatican in 2014.

"I went to the Vatican and saw that golden ceiling. And I said to myself how could anyone be a son of a *** to live with a golden roof and then go to poor countries and kiss babies with a full stomach? I stopped believing."

However, by then, Maradona's faith had been restored by the current Pope and fellow Argentine, Francis.

"I had left the Church, but Francisco brought me back," he said before playing in the 'Peace Match' organized by the Vatican.

During his audience, Maradona presented Pope Francis with an Argentina national team shirt with 'Francisco' and the number 10 on the back and signed by the football legend.

By contrast, Pope John Paul II, who was pope from 1978 to 2005, played soccer growing up in Poland and was a goalkeeper.

He supported the Polish team Cracovia, who retired the number 1 shirt in his honour.

Maradona died after suffering a heart attack at his home two weeks after leaving hospital following surgery for a bleed on the brain, with his death hitting the sporting spectrum and beyond. /Telegraph/