Pope Francis has revealed his favorite footballer to watch. The bishop of Rome was born in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, but does not choose Lionel Messi as his favorite player. Instead of the six-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, the pope chooses another compatriot: Lisandro Martínez.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham visited Vatican City last week. During the visit, the Pope received a signed Manchester United shirt from the former Ajax player as a gift. According to The Athleticjournalist Jamie Whitwell had previously informed the Pope to Burnham that Martínez is his favorite player to watch. Manchester United responded to the Pope’s statement by giving Burnham a signed shirt.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, @AndyBurnhamGMhas presented today @Pontifex with a @LisandrMartinez shirts.#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 20, 2023
The signed shirt also included a personal message from the world champion. ‘Su Santidad, con mucho carino, LM’, it read. The Dutch translation of that message is ‘Your holiness, with much love, Lisandro Martínez’. In The Athletic there is now even talk of a personal meeting between the two Argentines, although it is not clear when that could take place.
The butcher suffered a fracture in his metatarsal bone in the Europa League match against Sevilla and will not play again this season for the Red Devils. The injury is a major loss for Erik ten Hag, because Martínez could count on a permanent starting place at Old Trafford. This season he already played 45 games for his club, in which he managed to score one goal.