You can trust Kanye West to adorn the most random and weird attire anyday.
From wearing shoulder pads under his shirt to donning a complete black mask over his face or even sporting a pointy black hood while previewing new music from ‘Vultures,’ Kanye West always finds a way to stand out from the crowd.
The global superstar has become something of a fashion mogul in recent years. Amidst this, Kanye West was captured in a football kit, which seems to be the most normal yet the most random thing for the American rapper.
Kanye appears to have raided vintage shops to unearth memorabilia, which is most certainly a collector’s item. In his most recent post, the rapper uploaded a selfie flaunting a 1996-97 Portsmouth goalkeeper retro blue-grey kit.
The kit belonged to the Portsmouth legend Alan Knight, who represented the club between 1978 and 2000 and was worn only once in the FA Cup quarter-finals against Chelsea.
The 46-year-old artist, who has also made his name as a fashion designer, uploaded the image on the social media platform for his 18.3 million followers on Tuesday. Although his face is obscured, the post has already received more than 2 million likes.
Wearing retro kit is all the rage right now. But this isn’t your everyday football. His recent photo raises a simple yet crucial question: Where did West get a goalkeeper shirt that Alan Knight wore during Pompey’s 1996-97 old Division One season?
It remains a mystery as to how Kanye got his hands on this rare piece that has only a few photos of it on the internet. But let’s not forget that he is Kanye. If he wants something, he has to have it.
If the word of mouth is to be believed, then this kit was actually a training kit where they sewed on a Pompey badge to wear it in the match. This makes it a collector’s item for sure.
In fact, Blues legend Knight himself took to X.com to jokingly tweet: ‘Can I have my shirt back, please buddy? PUP? [Play up Pompey]’. He then added on Instagram: ‘I always wondered where that shirt went when I threw it into the Fratton End at the end of the season,’ accompanied by two laughing emojis.
The League One side’s official X.com account has since gotten involved in the action, reposting the picture on their account alongside the caption: ‘Up Ye Blues.’
Fans have taken to the post to comment on it. According to the general consensus, people believe that the Instagram post does not feature the real Kanye West but rather another model in the Portsmouth kit.
It does raise questions as to why West would do that? But then again, he is Kanye.
Amidst this, a special post has surfaced on the internet revealing that a similar kit was listed for auction on eBay during October, priced at £15 excluding shipping charges.
We can surely assume that a big brand like Kanye would not have gotten his hands on an Ebay knock-off. But then again, you can’t predict Kanye.
Some people have even urged others to contact the seller to obtain information about the buyer of the same.
However, there are some doubts regarding its originality. Eagle-eyed Portsmouth fans noticed that the Asics logo – the manufacturer of the shirt – looked different on West’s shirt compared to the one Knight wore in the ’90s.
Moreover, the texture looked a bit odd. One supporter suggested that West was wearing a replica or a training version of the shirt rather than the match version.
This isn’t the first time West has publicly shown off his love for vintage football gear. In the past, he has been spotted donning Manchester United shirts, jackets and retro kits.
In October, he attended the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou fight in Riyadh wearing a Premier League jersey peeking out from under his jacket.
It’s yet to be established how big of a football fan Kanye generally is. But one thing is for sure: whatever he wears becomes a topic of discussion on social media in no time.
I sold Kanye the piece I’ve sold him plenty over the years via people close to him.. the EBAY above is mine but that didn’t actually go to Kanye – I also sold via a football facebook group! I found around 10 deadstock in multiple C/W’s and sold them from my shop