EXCLUSIVE

The man who allegedly stole Tom Brady's Super Bowl jersey has been up close and personal with Tom, Robert Kraft and other Super Bowl stars for years ... and TMZ Sports has the photo proof.

Mauricio Ortega made a habit of snapping selfies with the big stars from the Super Bowl games he covered during his stint as the news director for La Prensa -- a Mexican media outlet.

We're told the photo with Tom Brady was taken after Super Bowl 39 in 2005. Same with Robert Kraft.

Ortega also posed with Heath Miller at Super Bowl 40, Brandon Jacobs at Super Bowl 42. He also got one with Ben Roethlisberger.