Wolves FA Cup win attributed to Pope’s prayer

A lifelong Wolverhampton Wanderers fan has attributed the team’s change in fortune to his meeting with the Pope.

Jim Sharma, 65, from Wolverhampton, was offered the chance to meet Pope Leo XIV during his trip to Turkey in November.

At the time, the club had played 19 league games without winning a fixture this season, but their luck has now changed including a 6-1 FA Cup victory against Shrewsbury on Saturday.

“We’d had a terrible start to the season and I thought, let’s give him a Wolves shirt and see if it can make any difference, ” Sharma told BBC Radio WM.

After seeking permission from the Vatican, the owner of Wednesfield Cars had a football shirt specially printed with “Pope” and the number 1 across the back and gifted it to the pontiff.

He said: “I thought, wouldn’t it be great to give him something from Wolverhampton.

“He said, ‘oh look, my name is on here, this is fantastic, I’ll say a prayer for you,’ then he shook my hand.

“He loved it.”

The fortunes of the team have improved after a number of defeats led to protests among fans, and the former executive chairman Jeff Shi stepped down from his role after 10 years at the club.

The taxi firm owner added: “I’ve been a massive supporter of Wolves for most of my life.

“I didn’t realise how big a moment it was until after it had already happened, the last time I read anything about the Pope was when our king was meeting him, now I’m meeting him.”