Annabel Grossman
PRIME Minister Rajoy tried to win Pope Francis’ heart through the beautiful game when the pair met last week.
Rajoy, along with his wife Elvira Balboa, presented Francis with a Spain shirt signed by all the players during a meeting at the Apostolic Palace.
Perhaps feeling the strain of his job back home, Rajoy told the pope when parting ways: “This has made me extremely happy, we were in need of it.”
Francis, who has been pope since March 13, is a lifelong fan of Argentinian team San Lorenzo and even became a member of the official supporters club in 2008.
Italy’s national side have now invited Argentina to play a friendly this summer with the hope that the footy-mad pope may be in the stands.
Wonder if he’d accept a Gibraltar shirt, given his anti-Falklands posturing?
Thought he’d prefer a hair shirt, because, as he keeps telling us, he’s ‘umble, very ‘umble