Vatican City, May 22: Juventus coach Antonio Conte and captain Gianluigi Buffon have led a club delegation to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Pope Francis is a football lover and an avid fan of Argentine team San Lorenzo, although he is also said to like Juventus because of his family's roots from the Piedmont region.
Juventus president Andrea Agnelli was also at the private meeting late Monday, and afterward Buffon said: “It was a great opportunity and I have to say I didn't expect there to be so many Juventus fans in the Vatican ... and by that I mean real fans.”
The Pope was presented with Buffon's goalkeeper jersey signed by the entire squad and a replica of the Italian league trophy, which Juventus won for a second successive season.