Spanish football team Villarreal had an audience with Pope Francis ahead of their Europa League match against Roma last night.

The team won the game 1-0 but crashed out of the league anyway because they had lost the first leg 4-0.

Francis told the players inside the Apostolic Palace that "football, like other sports, mirrors life and society."

Francis also stressed the importance of playing as a team, adding that "when you start thinking only about yourself and forget your teammates, we in Argentina call those types of players someone who likes 'to eat the ball' alone."

Francis, a lifelong fan of Buenos Aires club San Lorenzo, has had frequent meetings with football players from around the world.