Pope Francis presented with signed Manchester United jersey; here's why

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham recently visited the Vatican. When he met Pope Francis, he presented him with a signed Manchester United shirt of Lisandro Martinez. Here is why.

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Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham was recently visiting the Vatican City in Italy. During his trip, he also met Pope Francis, and to everyone's surprise, he presented a signed shirt of English giants Manchester United. At the same time, it was the number six jersey currently worn by Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez.

The signed Red Devils shirt also had a message that read, "Your holiness, with much love, Licha." It was evident that the Argentinian himself sent the jersey. As fans wondered if Francis happens to be a United fan, it must be noted that he hails from Argentina and is a big football fan, while he also admired Martinez. The visit from Burnham was a part of the audience with the Pope, related to the interfaith group from Manchester at the Vatican.

In the meantime, Martinez has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, having suffered a foot injury during the opening leg of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) quarterfinal against Spanish giants Sevilla last week. However, the defender was a part of Argentina's FIFA World Cup-winning campaign last December.