Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed he opted to spend transfer
deadline day in Rome as he had a long-standing appointment to meet the
Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Wenger was criticized for taking part in a charity football match
in the Italian capital on a day when so much transfer activity takes
place for top Premier League clubs, but he still managed to sign Danny
Welbeck from Manchester United despite his day trip to Italy.
The Frenchman suggested the fact he was out of bed early to catch his
flight to Rome helped him to set up the deal for Welbeck, but it was
clear that his eagerness to have an audience with the head of the
Catholic church was important to him.
"Meeting the Pope was an experience I did not want to miss," Wenger
told reporters, of a match that was supported by Pope Francis. "I am a
Catholic, so it was an experience, and one I accepted a long time ago.
"On top of that it was a game for peace and multi-religion
understanding. I thought today where we are a bit in front of an
international religious war [in Gaza], it was a very important game.
"He is a great person. He shows humility and is available to meet for everybody, has a word with everybody.
"He is also a football fan. He is a supporter of San Lorenzo in
Argentina. You cannot be born in Argentina and not be a football fan. He
spoke with many Argentinians, so I wanted to be discreet and say, 'It
was nice to meet you and bye-bye.'"
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