The football world discovered him during the World Cup in Qatar, when he took to the pitch in the yellow jersey of the Australian national team against France. With his long hair held back with a rubber band and the unmistakable thin mustache of an accomplished actor, he instantly became one of those cult footballers that only the World Cup can produce. The myth surrounding Jackson Irvine does not end with his sporting achievements, however, but is fuelled by his off-pitch style, which consists of analogue photographs and vintage football shirts. The St. Pauli midfielder's love for football is truly a total one and capable to touch every element of his life. That is why he is the perfect protagonist for the new chapter of More Than. "For as long as I can remember, the football jersey was the only thing I wore when I was a kid. The first jersey I was photographed in was an old Aberdeen jersey, circa 1995, from the Scottish team from the city my dad is from, when I was a year or two old. My family came to Australia and brought me this jersey and a Scottish national team jersey," Irvine tells me, describing how his passion for jerseys is certainly not an Instagram invention.

In Irvine's case, you could even say that he started collecting jerseys even before he learned to walk. "Those were definitely the first two I wore. One of the strongest memories I have is that I got a Manchester United jersey when I was about five or six years old, around the time Manchester United won the Champions League and came to Australia to play a friendly against our national team in 1999. And yes, that was an iconic moment, so that jersey meant a lot to me as well" Growing up in Australia in a Scottish family, football was also a way for him to stay connected to his roots. "My father played in Australia at a good semi-professional level when we moved there and my maternal grandfather also came to Australia from the Netherlands and played here as well. Somehow it was football that brought many parts of my family together in Australia. So, yes, it was an important part of my life when I was very young." And Irvine followed in his family's footsteps, first playing in Scottish youth teams and then opting to don the Socceroos jersey, with whom he played in two World Cups as a star player. Clubs, on the other hand, soon took him away from the New World, first to Celtic, then to Hull City and finally to St. Pauli, where he found his ideal spot.

JacksonIrvine

The collector

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