Ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Lee Harper has taken to social media to beg burglars to return his sentimental stolen shirt.
The 50-year-old revealed that the jersey he wore in his debut, signed by Arsene Wenger and a plethora of his teammates, was removed from its frame and robbed.
He tweeted: “Good morning, please could people retweet for me. My Arsenal debut shirt seen below that I wore in 1997 against Southampton with the Number 26 on the back and signed by the whole squad and Arsene Wenger was stolen from my house and ripped out of its frame. It means a lot to me, please rt.”
The shot-stopper has received massive support from fans across the country.
One said: “Lee, sorry to hear that this has happened to you. I hope someone out there has information, and you get it back. I had my new iPhone stolen from me when I went to a wedding, had all the photos of the FA cup stolen with myself and my grandson in them, taken in the arsenal museum.”
Another tweeted: “It won’t be getting past the Arsenal radar – this is one loss we will not tolerate. I hope you find it soon, Lee – retweeted and shared to FB.”
While a third reminisced over the time Harper had helped him with his keeping: “Gutted for you, Lee. Fingers crossed you get it back, mate. You’re a top bloke, one of football’s good guys, you probably won’t remember, but you really helped me as a young goalkeeper at Sittingbourne FC when we used to train together.”
Read: Arsenal set to pay a premium fee for Gabriel Jesus despite expiring contract.
When did the Arsenal goalkeeper wear the shirt?
After spotting his talent, Arsenal broke the bank and paid £150,000 to sign Harper from Sittingbourne, making him one of the most expensive non-league players at the time.
He proudly wore the jersey during his one and only game for ‘The Gunners’ in a Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace back in 1997. He successfully kept a clean sheet as his side cruised to a 2-0 win over ‘The Eagles’.
However, despite his positive performance, he never played for the club again. Wenger offered him a new two-year deal with the promise of being the number two ahead of Alex Manninger. But with the ambition of first-team football on his mind, he transferred to QPR.
He made 119 appearances for ‘The Hoops’ before moving to Walsall. He then represented Northampton 156 times, prior to spells at MK Dons. Harper eventually settled down at Kettering, where he made 112 appearances before retiring in 2010.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram / Lee Harper
