Pope Francis wears his love for football on his sleeve. In his eight-year pontificate, he has received jerseys of several football clubs and game balls of important matches. But on Wednesday, the Pope got himself his very own football-theme toy – a foosball table.

Francis played a round on the table that was presented to him at the end of his general audience by representatives of a Tuscany-based table football association, Sport Toscana Calcio Balilla in Altopascio.

The mayor of Altopascio, Sara D’Ambrosio, wrote on Facebook that the table was designed to be inclusive and work well for people with physical disabilities to encourage their participation in sport.

Foosball is a table-top game, which is based on traditional football. It is played between 2 players or team, players moving rods which have figures attached to them. A ball is put in the middle of the table, and the stick figures act as football players. The aim of the game is to land the ball in the opponent’s goal.

Pope Francis is a well-known lover of football. The Argentine-born pope is a supporter of the San Lorenzo soccer club from Buenos Aires. He has long promoted sport as a way to promote solidarity and inclusion, especially for young people.

The conservative pope is known to break stereotypes. Last week, in a decidedly unusual break from protocol, he took a cellphone from an aide while standing at centre stage in a Vatican auditorium. The incident occurred when Pope Francis was conducting his weekly Wednesday audience with the public. Francis, who had blessed the attendees near the event’s end, chatted animatedly for a couple of minutes with whomever was on the other end.

The pope gestured with his free hand as if the caller could see him – a common impulse for many people when talking on the phone – while he held the device to his left ear with his other hand. Francis seemed to be explaining something and did most of the talking.