Man United: Why did Pope Francis receive a signed Lisandro Martinez shirt? | OneFootball

It's not everyday you see the Pope presented with a signed football shirt, but that's exactly what happened to Pope Francis on Thursday after he was gifted a signed Lisandro Martinez Manchester United shirt.

It was the Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham who exchanged the gift during an audience with an interfaith group from the city at The Vatican.

Martinez has been exceptional for Man United since arriving from Ajax last summer and plenty of people would do anything to get a signed shirt from the defender.

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The question is though, why did the Pope want his shirt specifically, rather than a signed jersey from all members of the squad?

Why was the Pope given a Lisandro Martinez shirt?

Like Martinez, the Pope was born in Argentina and grew up in Buenos Aires.

According to the Man United website, he is a keen football fan and an admirer of the Argentine centre-back.

So, after United and Martinez were both informed of the visit by Mayor Burnham, the club and player organised the signed shirt.

The jersey also had a personal message from Martinez, that read: "Su Santidad, Con mucho cariño, LM.", which translates to: "Your holiness, with much love, Licha."

A photo of the Pope receiving the gift has now been widely circulated on social media and his face clearly shows how much he appreciated the gift.

Check it out below:

What's the latest on Martinez's injury?

Having established himself as an integral member of Erik ten Hag's squad, Martinez suffered an injury against Sevilla in the Europa League quarter-final first leg and had to be carried off the pitch.

It was later confirmed that he would miss the rest of the season to have surgery on his fractured metatarsal.

The centre-back has now confirmed that "everything went well" during his surgery and posted a photo of himself, alongside the caption: “Everything went really well, thanks to God! Many thanks for all of your messages. Now focusing on the recovery.”

United have already won the Carabao Cup this season but still have the potential to add two more trophies.

Ten Hag's team face Brighton in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at Wembley on Sunday, April 23.

They also face Sevilla in the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday and will play either Sporting Lisbon or Juventus if they manage to progress.