Roberto Baggio Joins 8 Italian Legends at New York Mass
Roberto Baggio drew one of the biggest reactions inside the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral on Sunday, June 7, when eight retired Italian soccer stars took part in an Italian-language Mass and FIFA Legends Match in New York City. The day mixed faith, heritage and soccer in a packed church that had fans lining up from 9 a.m. just to get inside.
Old St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
The event was organized by FIFA with the Grow Together Foundation and centered on a one-day gathering at a church that has served New York’s Italian-American community since the late 1800s. Old St. Pat’s already offers Italian-language Mass every Sunday, along with English and Spanish services, but this program turned the cathedral into a meeting point for former stars and local supporters.
Roberto Baggio, Marco Materazzi and Giuseppe Rossi were among the fan favorites in attendance. Fans who did not make it inside stayed crowded on Mott Street during the Mass, while representatives from Italy’s consulate, Italy’s minister for disabilities Alessandra Locatelli and FIFA president Gianni Infantino all delivered speeches.
Questions in Italian
After the Mass, the players answered questions from children in Italian. That gave the event a direct link to the Grow Together Foundation, which offers Italian-language classes and sports camps for youth in New York City, and made the appearance more than a photo stop for the adults in the room.
Sean Cabrera, waiting in line for the event, called it “Personally, it’s an ultra combination of dreams” and added, “The fact that it combines [soccer] with the Catholic faith…. You get to meet these players [and] you get to go to church.” William Capparelli said before the Mass, “My favorite soccer team is Italy, obviously.”
Infantino and Giuliani
Infantino told the crowd, “They [the players] made our hearts beat, and they continue to make our hearts beat.” He also said, “They make us proud of being Italian.” Andrew Giuliani, who attended as executive director of the White House task force on the FIFA World Cup 2026, said, “When you think about what Old St. Pat’s means to New York, I couldn’t think of a better place to actually do this.”
The timing carried a sharp edge for Italy supporters. Italy will not compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after losing a qualification playoff penalty shootout to Bosnia and Herzegovina, so the appearance of eight retired Italian soccer stars in New York gave fans a rare chance to see names tied to a different era of the national team. For people who queued before dawn, the day was less about a fixture and more about proximity to the players who filled their childhoods and church aisles at the same time.
