April 21, (THEWILL) – During an audience with His Holiness at the Vatican, Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, presented Pope Francis with a Manchester United shirt signed by Lisandro Martinez, a centre-back from Argentina.
The shirt was supplied by the club and Martinez happily signed it for the Pope, with a message that read, “Your holiness, with much love, Licha.” The Pope, a known football fan and an admirer of Martinez, received the gift graciously.
Martinez, unfortunately, will miss the rest of the season due to a foot injury he sustained during the first leg of a doomed Europa League quarter-final tie with Sevilla. However, he was part of Argentina’s World Cup-winning squad in 2022 and has had a fantastic debut season with Manchester United, quickly becoming a fan favourite despite criticisms from the media and rival supporters.
The Argentine underwent successful surgery on his foot earlier this week and is expected to be available for the start of next season. In an interfaith group from Manchester, Burnham was pleased to have the opportunity to present the shirt to the Pope, stating, “It was an honour to meet His Holiness, and I was delighted to be able to present him with a gift from our city. Lisandro Martinez is a tremendous player, and I know the Pope will treasure this signed shirt.”
The presentation of the Manchester United shirt to Pope Francis is a gesture of goodwill from the city of Manchester, demonstrating its commitment to building bridges between faith communities.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
