From Edinburgh to Easter Island: How my stolen Ian Wright Celtic top went round the world

As the strip racked up the air miles Kris kept drip-feeding the emails to his unsuspecting friend

“At one point I did get an email back [from Kevin] saying I think I’ve worked out who it is.

“I knew he hadn’t and of course I never heard from him again. He was obviously trying to flush me out.”

A great prank, however, requires a big reveal. Which, after years of deception, was something Kris agonised over.

“When he announced he was getting married, I thought this is the perfect opportunity.”

When the moment arrived Kris says the confused look on Kevin’s face was worth it:

“It was really good. I knew he’d appreciate the gag and finally finding out but it was actually a bit of a relief as well. I couldn’t keep this going forever.”

Kris’s mum and dad were among those who helped him build up a bank of photos from around the UK and Europe.

Then in 2008 he took the strip with him to South America where the prank took on a life of its own.

“I met people in Peru and I gave them the strip because they were going off travelling around the world.

“They took it away with them and went to Easter Island with the big stone heads.

They went to Christ the Redeemer in Rio. They got some brilliant photos.”

There is, however, a twist – a confession Kris hasn’t been brave enough to make until now.

Sometime around 2013 the steady stream of photos he’d been receiving from around the world suddenly stopped.

When he contacted the last person he knew had the strip, they sheepishly confessed to losing it.

“I suppose that’s the risk of sending it off around the world with complete strangers.”

Kris was determined the prank he’d invested so much time and energy into wouldn’t just fizzle out.

So he spent hours scouring the internet for a replacement strip and identical lettering which, in the end, he had to iron on by hand.

“I should apologise yes it was very careless of me to lose [but] a lot of love went back into the replacement.”

Which raises the intriguing prospect that more than a quarter of a century on, the original “Wrighty” is out there somewhere, searching for a way home.

This epic tale of love, loss, revenge and reconciliation might still have room for another chapter.