Mario Lemina granted touching request to have new name on his shirt as Premier League apply rare exemption

The Premier League have allowed Wolves midfielder Mario Lemina to change the name on the back of his shirt mid-season in honour of his late father.

Lemina's father, also called Mario Lemina, passed away on December 29.

Last month, the Gabon international took to X (Twitter) to state: "Deeply saddened by the irreparable loss of my father.

"The memories of his immeasurable love and unwavering support resonate in every corner of my life, both on and off the pitch.

"His departure leaves a huge void in our lives. May his soul find eternal peace."

I am deeply touched by the avalanche of messages of support that you have kindly sent to me and my family at this painful time.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your concern and comfort. 🙏🏾#L5MINA #Wolves

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— Mario Lemina (@LeminaM_13) January 16, 2024

He missed Wolves' 3-0 win over Everton on January 1 following his father's passing, with team-mates holding up Lemina's shirt after each goal as part of their own tribute.

The 30-year-old returned to action for the 3-2 win over Brentford in the FA Cup on January 16, and has since played in both of Wolves' most recent Premier League games.

At the end of January, Gary O'Neil's side also signed the midfielder's younger brother, Noha Lemina.

And the club later confirmed on their official website that they had lodged a request with the Premier League for the elder Lemina to make a touching mid-season change to the name on the back of his shirt.

Wolves head of kit and equipment Sam Perrin told Wolves' official website: "When we signed his brother Noha, Mario asked about the shirt situation and whether his brother could take the name 'LEMINA', which he's had at every other club.

"He then also asked about changing his name and requested 'MARIO JR.', so he could honour his dad.

"We spoke to the Premier League, who ran it past their board, and we explained the circumstances - we're a big family club and we explained why we wanted to do it.

"They understood the reason and it got cleared late Wednesday. Now every week on the pitch Mario can represent his father.

"We're very grateful to the Premier League for accepting this request."

Lemina debuted the new shirt name change in Wolves' 4-3 defeat to Manchester United at Molineux on Thursday, and will continue to do so for the rest of the season and beyond.