Thomas Robinson summed up the best of his city when he sent a Liverpool shirt to Jacob Zelinski in New York
Thomas Robinson was the kind Scouser who sent a bundle of Liverpool FC memorabilia to Jacob Zelinski in a post that has since gone viral
Thomas Robinson was the kind Scouser who sent a bundle of Liverpool FC memorabilia to Jacob Zelinski in a post that has since gone viral(Image: Liverpool Echo)
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The friendly nature of Scousers is something this city is famous for, but there's nothing like seeing it in action to prove it's more than a cliche. Thomas Robinson was hailed as a true ambassador of this city last month when he reached out to Jacob Zelinski with a special act of kindness that warmed the hearts of people from all over the world.
Jacob, a writer living in New York, has a special connection to this city through his late brother, Joey, who was a huge Liverpool FC supporter. Joey tragically died aged 23 in a car accident in 2019 and Jacob has taken on his love for the Reds as a way to stay close to him. Thomas was on holiday with some friends in the Big Apple when he bumped into Jacob and found out about this connection.
The ECHO spoke to Thomas in an interview for our Pub Corner series, which will be released tomorrow. The latest edition focuses on Liverpool John Lennon Airport, a place where Thomas has worked for the past 14 years.
Over a drink in the airport's Sable Bar, Thomas told the ECHO all about the chance encounter. He said: "Me and two of my mates were in New York at the same time went for a pint in the pub. We walked in and there's three empty chairs there so I just sat down. Jacob was there drinking a red and we just involved him in the conversation because he was drinking by himself."
Thomas doesn't believe in coincidences and was moved to find out about Joey's story. He said: "Of all these places in the whole of New York, I've just sat here and he's got this connection to Liverpool. My head fell off. We followed each other on Instagram because he said he wanted to come and visit Liverpool. And we kept in touch."
Jacob Zelinski spoke to the ECHO last month
Jacob Zelinski spoke to the ECHO last month(Image: Jacob Zelinski)
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Jacob shared a post on the anniversary of Joey's death and this prompted to Thomas into action. He put together a bundle of Liverpool themed gifts, including a shirt with Joey's name on the back and the year he was born.
The 31-year-old added: "I messaged him send me your address because it is just like an invisible string." Jacob filmed himself unboxing the video to send to Thomas and he subsequently posted this on social media.
The post went viral and it has now been viewed 466,000 times. Thomas didn't know Jacob was about to post a video as he was on holiday in Spain at the time. He said: "I was about to get in bed and my Instagram just blew up. It's still going off now to be honest. The amount of messages and comments I'm getting is wild.
The comments were naturally full of praise for Thomas, as one person named Stacey said: "Befriending a Scouser is one of the greatest privileges in life. They'll be with you forever and a day."
Jacob Zelinski with his Liverpool jersey, emblazoned with Joey's name and the year he was born
Jacob Zelinski with his Liverpool jersey, emblazoned with Joey's name and the year he was born(Image: Jacob Zelinski)
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Jacob is touched at the response his gesture has elicited as he said: "It was dead emotional because everyone was commenting, 'You'll never walk alone' And it's true. Once you meet a Scouser, you'll never walk alone again so it's nice."
Thomas and Jacob remain in close contact as the Scouser sent a picture to the family when the story appeared in the ECHO print edition last month. He laughed: "His mum's messaging me now. I sent her a photo of it when it was in the ECHO paper and she was like, 'Send me four copies'. I'm going New York next year now so we'll probably meet up."
Jacob also has plans to make a long awaited pilgrimage to Liverpool as he told the ECHO: "It's so special and it makes me feel like I need to get a flight to Liverpool. I don't have plans, but in the past few days it has become quite evident I should make plans."
You can read the full interview with Jacob here The ECHO's Pub Corner at Liverpool John Lennon Airport will be available tomorrow morning