Former Italy national team striker Mario Balotelli gifted a Ghana jersey to New York mayor Zohran Mamdani. “Super Mario,” who is vacationing in the U.S. during the World Cup, had recently said he is cheering for Ghana, his parents’ country of origin, because Italy is not competing. “Italy isn’t at the World Cup, so I support Ghana. I’m Ghanaian and I’m proud of it,” he said, naming forward Antoine Semenyo among his favorite players and calling the 2010 Ghana national team “the best.”

According to Ghanaian media, Balotelli and Mamdani watched a World Cup match together at the mayor’s residence. At the end of the game, the former Manchester City and Milan striker, accompanied by his brother Enoch, presented Mamdani with a Ghana jersey personalized with his name.

The gesture follows a relationship that has grown closer in recent months. Shortly before the World Cup began, Mamdani quoted one of Balotelli’s remarks in a speech about organizing the tournament, promising that New York would “do its job.” The reference was to the striker’s famous explanation for not celebrating after scoring: “When I score I don’t celebrate because I’m simply doing my job. Does a postman celebrate when he delivers a letter?” Echoing that line, the mayor added: “When New York organizes a safe, well-run and trouble-free World Cup, we won’t celebrate. We’ll have simply done our job.”