Where in the world? Pilgrims fan Pat loves to have his picture taken in front of famous landmarks all over the globe

Every time the 54-year-old packs his suitcase for a trip abroad he makes sure there is a United replica shirt neatly folded along with the rest of his luggage.

Pat’s hobby of having his picture taken in a United shirt next to famous landmarks has seen him snapped on five continents, and in front of such famous sights as Sydney Opera House, The White House and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

It has also brought out different reactions in onlookers, from curiosity to menace.

“The first picture was Pisa and the Leaning Tower,” Pat told The Standard.

“We were on a family holiday, took some pictures and I just happened to be wearing a BUFC shirt.

“This was followed over the next couple of years by ones in Amsterdam and Miami, again just a coincidence that I was wearing a BUFC shirt.

“It sort of snowballed from there.”

What started as chance has since become an emotional journey for Pat, moving from an eccentric part of a sightseeing trip to something poignant for his family.

“In terms of location, then Uluru (formerly Ayer’s Rock) probably wins,” he said when asked about his most memorable snap.

“In terms of extremities, Gullfoss in Iceland was so cold and windy that there was no way the very thick thermal coat was going to come off, never mind the shirt going on.

“I just held on to it, very tightly.

“But the most poignant is Geneva.

“We were only there because our youngest son was taken seriously ill whilst working across there, and had to spend several weeks in hospital.

“Sightseeing wasn’t really on our mind for the first few days, but as he started to head towards a full recovery, we sneaked out for a bit of a look round the city and I couldn’t resist.”

While Pat’s family think he’s more than a little football crazy, they are getting used to his obsession now, especially his wife Sue who is asked to take most of the pictures.

However, Pat being snapped in a Pilgrims shirt still brings different reactions across the globe.

“In Oslo, a bunch of far east tourists started taking pictures of me posing in Vigeland Park,” he said.

“The biggest reaction was in Bucharest, trying to find a suitable location including the People’s Palace in the background.

“It’s so huge that you have to be a considerable distance away.

“We ended up in the central reservation of Victoriei Street, their equivalent of the Champs Elysee.

“The passing traffic were pipping horns and shouting - still not sure to this day whether they were fascinated by the mad people in the middle of the road or just warning us that we weren’t supposed to be there.

“It often starts conversations with locals just wondering what we’re doing.”

While passing members of the public may be intrigued by the quirk of a man in a football shirt having his picture taken by a famous landmark, Pat has also dared test the tribalism of other soccer fans in their own stadiums.

Bravely, he has posed for pictures in both Milan’s San Siro and the Stadio San Paulo in Naples, both hotbeds of Ultra culture.

“I got very different reactions at the two games,” he said.

“In the San Siro, no bother whatsoever. A few locals looked at the badge, asked where it was from and I had to explain in more detail.

“The Stadio San Paulo in Naples was quite funny and scary.

“As soon as I put the shirt on, I was immediately surrounded by a few quite intimidating locals who wanted to know what shirt it was.

“Once they discovered it was English, they became very friendly and just wanted to talk about football.”

And, of course, the mighty Pilgrims and their distinctive amber and black shirts are instantly recognisable the world over. Aren’t they?

“What do you think?” Pat added. “Even the guy who ran the English football pub in Milan didn’t recognise it. But he did recognise my mate’s Forest shirt straight away.”

There will be, however, still plenty more chances to get that kit recognised as Pat reveals he is by no means finished adding snaps to the album.

“We’re planning the bucket list trip for around 2023 when retirement beckons - round South America and a diversion across to the place at the top of the list, Easter Island.

“Other notable omissions that I’d like to fulfill include St Basil’s in Moscow, the Angkor Wat in Cambodia and pyramids in Egypt.

“This year will see the addition of Rome, Malta, Jerusalem, The Dead Sea, Crete, Athens and the Llangollen canal.”