What began as a beloved possession for Kevin Hill, a green-and-white hooped Celtic jersey bearing the name of his hero Ian Wright, transformed into the centerpiece of an elaborate, globe-trotting prank orchestrated by his childhood friend, Kris Robertson.
The jersey, notably lacking a number on the back because Wright had not yet signed with the club when Kevin acquired it, became a fixture for Kevin. Its disappearance after he moved to Edinburgh was initially attributed to a boisterous flat-warming party, but the culprit remained unknown. Years later, an email arrived from an unrecognized account with a shocking subject line: "Hi Kevin, remember me? Yes that's right, it's your Ian Wright Celtic strip."
Attached was a photograph of a woman Kevin didn't know, holding the distinctive jersey atop the London Eye. This was the first installment of a series of emails that would follow, each containing images of strangers wearing the prized shirt in various international locales. The jersey appeared in Barcelona, Turkey, Italy, and eventually made its way to South America, including iconic spots like Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and the USA. Kevin was left "mega confused," marveling at the ingenuity of the prank.
Robertson, who had known Kevin since school, recalled the jersey as Kevin's "prize possession" and admitted the prank was an act of "revenge." Inspired by the French film "Amelie," where a garden gnome is sent on a world tour, Robertson decided to replicate the concept with Kevin's shirt. He meticulously drip-fed photos to Kevin over the years, enjoying Kevin's attempts to deduce his identity.
Robertson agonized over the reveal, ultimately choosing Kevin's wedding day as the perfect moment to unveil the years-long deception. Kevin's reaction, a mixture of confusion and appreciation, was exactly what Robertson had hoped for. "It was actually a bit of a relief as well. I couldn't keep this going forever," Robertson stated.
Robertson's parents assisted in gathering photos from around the UK and Europe. In 2008, Robertson took the jersey to South America, where he entrusted it to other travelers heading off on their own global adventures. These travelers continued the jersey's journey, taking it to places like Easter Island and Rio de Janeiro.
However, the extensive journey took an unexpected turn around 2013 when the stream of photos ceased. Robertson confessed that the original jersey was lost by the last person he knew to have it. "I suppose that's the risk of sending it off around the world with complete strangers," he admitted.
Determined to salvage the prank, Robertson spent hours online searching for a replacement jersey and identical lettering. He painstakingly ironed the new lettering onto the replica himself. He noted that while he owes Kevin an apology for losing the original, "a lot of love went back into the replacement." The fate of the original Ian Wright Celtic jersey remains unknown, leaving open the possibility that it is still somewhere out there, embarking on its own unplanned journey.