Ahead of the 2026 World Cup final, which will see the national soccer teams of Spain and Argentina face off on Sunday, the bishop of Orihuela-Alicante in Spain, José Ignacio Munilla, reflected on the values of sport and the risk of idolatry.
Speaking on his program “Sixth Continent” on Radio María Spain regarding the sporting event, the Spanish prelate noted that soccer “possesses values that deserve to be recognized."
He said the Church “cultivates the spiritual values of sport,” which unites families and friends, creates opportunities for social connection in an increasingly individualistic society, and offers a chance to share joys and disappointments, among other virtues.
‘Who holds first place in our hearts?’
However, Munilla pointed out that “precisely because soccer stirs the human heart so deeply, it also becomes a magnificent mirror of our contradictions. For enjoying the sport is one thing, but turning it into a religion is something else entirely.”
“Our era has a curious way of manufacturing saints, but without holiness,” he added, referring to the attention lavished on sports stars, particularly soccer players.
While “it’s not wrong to admire someone who has developed an extraordinary talent through effort and sacrifice,” Munilla suggested it’s worth asking, “Who holds the first place in our hearts?”
The saints, he emphasized, guided generations of Christians for centuries as “models of humility, self-giving, mercy, fortitude, and faithfulness. They weren’t perfect, yet they pointed the way to human fulfillment.”
At another point in his radio reflection, the prelate said: “We all need role models; we all need points of reference. We all end up resembling those we admire. That is why it’s worth asking whether our children are more familiar with the biographies of great soccer players than with those of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. John Paul II, or Blessed Carlo Acutis. It would be a tragedy, of course, not because one must choose between them but because the saints teach us the art of living.”
‘Idols are always made of clay’
Today, people are fascinated with certain athletes, and "when we turn someone into an idol, they will inevitably end up disappointing us. Idols are always made of clay," he added, because just as "today we raise them to the heavens, tomorrow we will tear them down on social media over a missed penalty kick, a bad season, or making some personal mistake, because idolatry always ends up being cruel."
This reveals “that we are not truly loving the people themselves but rather using their successes to fuel our own emotions.”
Munilla also pointed to “the enormous financial disproportion surrounding professional soccer,” reflecting that “the market tends to put a price on what we turn into something indispensable.”
“The problem is not merely about money. The problem lies in the heart. For wherever we place our admiration, that is where our time, our attention, and our resources ultimately go,” Munilla observed, recalling Pope Francis' words: “You roar for a goal, yet you are unable to praise God with that same intensity?”
‘Only God can fill the heart forever’
On a purely human level, the bishop of Orihuela-Alicante reflected on a lesson to be drawn from sports: “Not knowing how to accept defeat is a sign of immaturity. But the person who needs to humiliate others doesn’t know how to win, either.”
He argued that “true sportsmanship lies in discovering that the rival player is not an enemy but someone who made the game possible. Only those who respect the loser truly know how to win. And only those capable of acknowledging the victorʼs merit without resentment truly know how to lose.”
“Let’s never confuse a ball with the meaning of life,” Munilla concluded, emphasizing that “a championship can fill a public square for a night, but only God can fill the heart forever.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Facts Only
* José Ignacio Munilla, bishop of Orihuela-Alicante, spoke on Radio María Spain regarding the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.
* Munilla noted that soccer possesses values that deserve recognition.
* The Church cultivates the spiritual values of sport, which unites families, creates social connection in an individualistic society, and allows for sharing joys and disappointments.
* Enjoying the sport is one thing, but turning it into a religion is another.
* Admiration for talent developed through effort and sacrifice is acceptable, but the focus should be on who holds the first place in the heart.
* Saints served as models of humility, self-giving, mercy, fortitude, and faithfulness.
* There is a consideration whether children focus more on soccer players than on religious figures like St. Francis or St. John Paul II.
* Idols are made of clay and can be dismantled by social media criticism concerning performance.
* Admiration often involves using others' successes to fuel personal emotions.
* There is an enormous financial disproportion surrounding professional soccer.
* The problem lies in the heart, where admiration directs time, attention, and resources.
* True sportsmanship involves respecting the rival as a facilitator of the game.
Executive Summary
A bishop from Orihuela-Alicante reflected on the values of sport and the risk of idolatry while speaking on Radio María Spain about the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. He noted that soccer possesses values worth recognizing, stating that the Church cultivates the spiritual values of sport by uniting families, fostering social connection in an individualistic society, and offering avenues for sharing emotions.
The reflection pivoted to the danger of turning enjoyment into religion, observing that because soccer deeply stirs the heart, it can act as a mirror reflecting human contradictions. While admiration for talent is acceptable, the bishop questioned who truly holds the most value in the heart, drawing a contrast between sports figures and religious saints who provided models of humility and self-giving.
The text further explored the danger of idolatry, suggesting that admirers often use the successes of athletes to fuel their own emotions rather than genuinely loving the individuals. It also addressed the financial disproportion in professional soccer, arguing that placing admiration in a certain place directs attention and resources. Finally, on a human level, true sportsmanship involves accepting defeat and respecting rivals as contributors to the game, ultimately concluding that while championships offer temporary public recognition, only God can fill the heart permanently.
Full Take
The narrative constructs a tension between the communal, relational benefits of sport—unity, shared emotion, and connection—and the risk inherent in objectifying that passion into an idolatrous system fueled by competitive outcomes. The core pattern involves shifting focus from intrinsic human virtues (like those embodied by saints) to extrinsic, performance-based admiration (soccer stars). This shifts the locus of value from character development to achievement display.
The suggestion that idols are "made of clay" and subject to social media critique points toward a fundamental instability in veneration; success is ephemeral, inviting immediate disillusionment. The author establishes a bridge by contrasting the ephemeral glory of a championship with the enduring substance offered by spiritual models, suggesting that time and attention directed toward performance yield transient emotional rewards, whereas focus on character yields lasting fulfillment.
The concern regarding financial disproportion introduces an economic layer to this spiritual dilemma, implying that the market's valuation structures inadvertently feed the idolatry described. The implicit call is for a realignment of where human energy is invested: from measuring worldly success in terms of competitive victory to recognizing the virtues that underpin genuine human flourishing. The missing context is how institutional or societal structures actively promote this commodification, and what tangible mechanisms exist to recalibrate attention away from external markers of success toward internal, enduring moral frameworks.
Bridge Questions: If admiration for a sporting achievement is merely an expression of displaced spiritual hunger, what specific practices could shift the focus from competitive validation to genuine relational empathy? How can societies re-evaluate the value systems that incentivize performance-based idolatry over virtue-based mentorship? What tangible ways can the concept of 'sportsmanship' be operationalized beyond competitive outcomes to foster true humility in an individualistic context?
Sentinel — Human
The text is a personal reflection framed by religious teaching regarding the spiritual implications of sports, characterized by an authoritative but contemplative tone typical of spoken commentary.