On Thursday, Pope Francis, who is 86 years old, met with various religious leaders from Manchester at the Vatican.
The group discussed their commitment to addressing climate change. Among them was Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Manchester, who presented the Pope with a framed Manchester United football jersey as a gift.
Interestingly, Burnham is a known supporter of Everton football club, and the gift was unexpected. During the private meeting, Burnham tweeted, “Good morning @LisandrMartinez.
“We are about to give your gift to the Holy Father!” The jersey featured the name and number of Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez, who hails from Argentina, like Pope Francis.
Martinez also included a personal message on the shirt, which read, “Your holiness, with much love, Licha.”
Although Martinez is currently recovering from a broken metatarsal, sustained during a match against Sevilla, he made an effort to send the Pope a special message through the gift.
As for Manchester United, they will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals, during which they conceded two own goals in the last minutes of the match, ending in a 2-2 draw.