Real Madrid have released a limited edition ‘Pope’ kit this week in their shops in Madrid, following the papal visit to the Spanish capital. The shirt followed a video of Pope Leo, or Papa Leon in Spanish, saying that he was a Real Madrid fan as he traveled to Spain.
Over a million people took to the streets in Madrid over the weekend to see the Pope Leo XIV visit the city and hold a mass. His motorcade also went past the Santiago Bernabeu on its way towards Plaza de Cibeles, where has to hold a mass. Before he arrived though, he was asked if he preferred Real Madrid or Barcelona. “That’s easy, the Pope is for all teams, but Prevost is Real Madrd – and Atleti!” he responded. In much of Spain though, the latter comment about Atletico Madrid was omitted from reports.
Real Madrid release Leon XIV jersey
Image via EFE. The ‘Pope shirt’.
As reported by Cadena SER, Real Madrid afterwards began selling limited edition ‘Leon XIV’ shirts in their shop after he admitted that he was a fan of the club. The shirt, with the unusual Roman numerals on the back, costs a total of €195 for any fans of both the Catholic church and Real Madrid.
The Pope is due to hold an event at the Bernabeu on Monday, and will be gifted a shirt by the recently re-elected Real Madrid President Florentino Perez with his name on the back. The event will be held in collaboration with the Diocesian community at the Bernabeu, where various musical acts will play in the stadium, before the Pope greets the masses.
Florentino Perez ‘welcomes’ Pope to Madrid
Image via Denis Doyle/Getty Images
The visit of the Pope comes at the heat of the Real Madrid elections, and at an event on Saturday, Perez had ‘welcomed’ the leader of the Catholic Church to the city. He too had seen the video, and called it a ‘source of pride’ for Real Madrid.
