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Pope Leo backs Evan Ferguson's Roma as Meath man prepares for new season

Pope Leo backs Evan Ferguson's Roma as Meath man prepares for new season

Extra.ie​6 hours ago
Italy is known for many great things but football and religion has to be up there. The two are almost intertwined.
Calcio is almost a religion in itself in Italy as fans flock to stadia across the country after mass every Sunday to watch their sides in Serie A. It's as ingrained in their culture as pasta and wine .
So therefore it's no surprise that when the new Pope Leo XIV was elected back in May that people would want him to give his allegiance to their team. Pope Leo XIV. Pic: Marco Iacobucci/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Leo, a native of Chicago is a huge fan of the baseball team the Chicago White Sox as well as the Villanova college basketball teams, but a new clip has emerged of him now cheering for Evan Ferguson's AS Roma ahead of the Serie A season starting this weekend.
Roma get their campaign off this weekend by hosting last year's Coppa Italia winners Bologna at the Stadio Olimpico. It will not only be a potential debut for Evan Ferguson but also the debut for new manager Gian Piero Gasperini, the mastermind of Atalanta's rise in recent years as he made the move to the Italian capital over the summer.
Gasperini is known as a 'forward-whisperer' of sorts as he's been able to ignite the careers of many great strikers, most recently that of Ademola Lookman who scored a hat-trick in the Europa League final in Dublin. Speaking to Italian sports newspaper Gazetta Della Sport Ferguson spoke about his excitement to work with Gasperini.
The Pope will be watching Evan Ferguson play football this season What a world we live in
Forza Roma 🇮🇪🐺🇮🇹pic.twitter.com/TiW6WzvKMS
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