Patrice Evra and his family had lunch with “pope” Alex Ferguson

Former Manchester United defender, Patrice Evra took his fiancee, Margaux Alexandra, and his son, Lilas to Manchester to have lunch with “pope” Sir Alex Ferguson.

The 40-year-old French retired footballer took to his Instagram to share a picture showing when Sir Alex Ferguson sat between him and his lover who lapped their son at a dinner table.

In the caption, Patrice Evra revealed that when he was planning to fly from London, where he stays with his young family, to Manchester, he told his lover that they would go and visit the pope.

Margaux Alexandra who did not suspect the prank that the former French international tried to pull, asked him whether they were about to fly to Italy.

In his reply, Patrice Evra who is currently working as a football pundit and on the verge of kick-starting his coaching career told his lover that the pope they were about to have lunch with lives in Manchester.

“Me: mon Coeur ♥️ we’re going to have lunch with the pope 🙏🏽 @margauxalexandra : cool we going to Italy 🇮🇹.. me: nope he lives in #manchester”, Patrice Evra wrote.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Patrice Evra (@patrice.evra)

At the point, Evra mentioned that the pope that they were about to have lunch with lives in Manchester, it was clear that the purported pope was Sir Alex Ferguson because he is the only person the ex-footballer can give such an exalted title.

Just like many Manchester United legends that played for the club in the last 25 years, Patrice Evra holds Sir Alex Ferguson in very high esteem because of the fatherly role he played in his life during his active days.

It was Ferguson that brought Patrice Evra from AS Monaco to Manchester United in 2006. The legendary coach made the Frenchman one of the greatest defenders at the Premier League club.

Under the leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson, Patrice Evra won five Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League, three league cups, one FIFA Club World Cup, and four Community Shields.

When describing the impact retired coach Ferguson made on his football career, Patrice Evra said Sir Ferguson taught him that winning is normal.

“I was like a kid,” he said. “I remember I was in Mikael Silvestre’s house and we were watching a game – I think it was Chelsea and when they lost, we were champions. I started jumping around, and Mikael was looking at me thinking, ‘What is he doing?’. Because he’d already won four leagues and I was screaming and he told me to calm down. I think your first one is so amazing.

“I’ll be honest, when you start winning the third one, the fourth and the fifth, you celebrate but not the same way. You celebrate because of the cameras, but it’s not the same. Ferguson taught us all to be like a robot. I don’t think I was a human being playing for Manchester United. When we won games, when I was doing something good, I wasn’t pleased. For me, it was something normal.

“I always say that [Didier] Deschamps taught me winning is important, but Ferguson taught me that winning is normal. I remember after big wins against Liverpool, he just said, ‘Well done, son. He was never screaming, apart from when we won the Champions League final.”

Aside from having lunch with Sir Ferguson on Monday, Evra spent last weekend in Manchester where he participated in Soccer Aid 2021, the charity football match that raises funds for UNICEF.

During the charity match that took place at the Etihad Stadium last Saturday, Evra played for World XI against England legends XI. Some of the notable Manchester United icons that participated in the charity match include Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, and Wayne Rooney.

David Beckham who is also a legend of Manchester United was in attendance to present the trophy as part of his work for UNICEF.