Pop legend Robbie Williams wears his AFL jersey to see if he still gets recognised in London – with some very surprising results
Superstar musician Robbie Williams has managed to avoid being recognized by his fans in London simply by wearing the jersey of the AFL team for which he serves as global ambassador.
The star performer has been a crazy Carlton supporter since he provided the pre-game entertainment at the 2022 AFL grand final.
He has since made a habit of watching the Blues’ matches and celebrating their victories on social media, even writing a song about the team to celebrate their victory over Sydney in last year’s elimination final.
Several Londoners walked right past Williams without recognizing him in his Carlton Blues AFL jersey, leaving the star a little unimpressed (pictured)
Williams hoped people would eventually figure out who he was, despite the unusual top
On Tuesday, he posted a series of Instagram videos of him and his wife Ayda out and about in London with the former Take That singer, wearing his Carlton jumper with ‘ROBBIE’ on the back, in a bid to see if people could see him will recognize in the strange clothing.
The couple discusses the experiment they’re doing before they go for a walk and Williams says, “You know what I want to happen… if people are like, ‘What is that?’ and then they turn around and it says Robbie on the back, they’re like, know it’s me.’
In their next clip, Williams sits on a bench outside London’s Design Museum as several people pass him, completely unaware that they are standing right next to one of the world’s biggest stars.
A bewildered Williams even nods to a man walking past a pram and receives only a polite nod in return.
The superstar has been a huge Carlton fan since performing at the 2022 grand final and wears his Blues strip with pride
In the third clip, he finally hits paydirt when a restaurant worker greets him with “Bongiorno!” – but then admits she only found out who he is because she saw the first post of him wearing the Carlton top.
“I can’t believe no one recognized you!” says the woman.
Williams then takes a selfie with a fan and her daughters, as Ayda says, “Please, it’s happening, boo!” before two more Londoners ask for a photo, prompting the star to say: ‘Back in the game!’ and ‘Jackpot!’
The 50-year-old – who was first presented with a Blues jersey by his Australian musician friend Tim Metcalfe in 2012 – will be hoping Carlton makes it to the grand final this year as they currently sit second on the ladder.
When they beat the Swans and Demons in the final last season, he couldn’t contain his joy on social media.
âEvery time, every time, every time I’ve watched the Swans,â Williams sang to his 2.8 million followers.
“The Swans lost to everyone.”
The first person to recognize the star (right) admitted she only spotted him because she saw the Instagram post showing him in his AFL gear
Williams is pictured dancing in celebration after finally being recognized by music fans
He made sure to wear a strip with his name on the back (pictured) so surprised fans had an idea who they were looking at
He then sang another song, to the tune of the big hit Love is in the Air by Australian star John Paul Young, about Carlton star Tom De Koning.
âThe King is in the air everywhere I look,â Williams sings.
‘The King is everywhere, leaving bodies on the ground.
‘And he’s better than his brother, even better than his father.
‘There is only one Thomas the King, and he is the best we will ever have.
‘The King is in the air! The, the, the, the, the, the.’
He then broke into an impromptu football-like chant.
The former Take That star (pictured with former AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan) has kept a close eye on the Blues since putting on a stunning showing in the 2022 grand final
Williams was accompanied by his wife Ayda (pictured together) during the experiment in London.
‘The city is ours, the city is ours. One team in Melbourne, the city is ours!’ Williams roared.
‘I can not believe it!’
Earlier this year he made a cheeky request to coach Michael Voss after Carlton’s incredible comeback win over Brisbane in the first round, when many fans wore the outfits Dan Aykroyd made famous in the film The Blues Brothers.
âI want a top like that,â he said after watching Carlton kick the winner.
‘After all, I’m the global ambassador, so I need a top like that.
‘Can I please have one of those tops, Vossy. Come on guys!’