Pope Francis receives signed Manchester United shirt from Lisandro Martinez

Pope Francis,  bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Papal States rose to the top of the trends on social media.

The Pope a respected figure dominated social media because of the world's most popular game.

During a visit to the Vatican on Thursday, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham gave Pope Francis an autographed Lisandro Martinez Manchester United shirt.

Argentina, the nation with which Martinez won the World Cup in December, is the home country of Pope Francis. 

Burnham was meeting the Holy Father alongside a delegation of Greater Manchester civic and religious leaders who committed to combating climate change.

In the course of the private encounter, Martinez sent Burnham a framed signed United shirt. 

The Labour politician on his official Twitter account said,  “Good morning @LisandrMartinez. We are about to give your gift to the Holy Father!.”

Manchester United also confirmed the post by the Mayor on Twitter with a message that said, "The Mayor of Greater Manchester, @AndyBurnhamGM , has today presented @Pontifex with a @LisandrMartinez shirt."

Martinez, also known as "The Butcher," made a £56 million transfer from Dutch powerhouse Ajax to United last July. 

The defender has played a significant role in manager Erik ten Hag's triumph this year, which includes the League Cup victory at Wembley in February.

Martinez's metatarsal injury from last week's Europa League match against Sevilla, whom United will face again on Thursday in the second leg of their quarterfinal match in Spain, will prevent him from playing for the remainder of the season.