19 David Beckham tattoos and their significance

Another popular trend, happening now is the string of David Beckham tattoos that artists are working on for fans and tattoo lovers alike. With more than 30 tattoos on his sculpted body, this former Manchester United footballer has reached heights of fame and stardom that even footballers can only dream of. David Beckham is loved by all, his fans truly massive and regarded a heartthrob, by almost all women. We take a closer look at the more significant tattoos of this former footballer and underwear model:

#1-Brooklyn, 1999: Beckham first went under the needle following the birth of his son, Brooklyn in 1999. The result was his son's name in Gothic script on his lower back

#2- Guardian Angel, 2000: A year later, Beckham was back at the tattoo studio, this time for a giant guardian angel on his upper back. The angel was designed to watch over Brooklyn's name a few inches below.

#3- Hindi letters, 2000: David pledged his devotion to wife Victoria with a tattoo of her name on the inner side of his left forearm. Choosing to make it even more special, he opted for Devanagiri script or the Hindu script instead. It was a wonderful gesture, to say the least.

#4- Romeo, 2002: When second son Romeo was born, David added his name above the guardian angel on his back, which by then was sporting some impressive wings. The design is said to be the work of Manchester-based tattoo artist Louis Malloy.

#5- Roman numerals, 2002: Shortly after Romeo's addition, David decided to get the number 7 tattooed on to his inner right forearm, written in Roman numerals. The number is special to him as it's his shirt number for Manchester United and England.

#6- Roman lettering, 2003: This Latin-inspired double work saw the phrases 'Ut Amem Et Foveam' (So That I Love and Cherish) inked below Victoria's name on his left arm and 'Perfectio in Spiritu' (Spiritual Perfection) onto his right. There were no mistakes this time.

#7- Winged cross, 2003: Following his transfer to Real Madrid, David reportedly flew tattooist Louis Malloy to Spain for the winged cross design on the back of his neck. 'Its religious iconography,' says Malloy. 'Like a protective talisman over his children. David just loves his tattoos. He's a very good customer'

#8- Angel, 2004: A month after allegations of his affair with Rebecca Loos, David had a large angel design on his right bicep, with the motto: 'In the Face of diversity.' He said: 'Everybody's got a way of expressing their feelings, and mine is through my tattoos'

#9- Cruz, 2005: Another baby, another trip to the tattoo parlor - third son Cruz joined his brothers' names on Dad's back, this time below the angel's feet.

#10- Roman Numerals, 2006: Following a secret commitment ceremony in 2006, the Beckhams opted for a set of matching tattoos on their right wrists: VIII .V.MMVI, standing for the date of the ceremony: May 8, 2006.

#11- Victoria, 2007: Becks had a six-inch tattoo that was a recreation of his favorite Brigitte-Bardot-style photo of Victoria inked on to his left arm. The phrase 'Forever by Your Side' was later added beneath.

#12- Chinese motif and second 'sleeve', 2008: A busy year for Beckham body art. Becks unveiled a large Chinese motif on his left side ribcage, which translates as: 'Death and life have determined appointments. Riches and honor depend upon heaven.' And to match his right arm, he started coloring in the gaps on his left arm's design.

#14- Ring of roses, 2009: To mark his tenth wedding anniversary, David tattooed ten roses around his left arm representing their ten years of marriage.

#15- Jesus on the way to the cross, 2010: When his grandfather Joe West died, Becks paid tribute to him with a black and white image of Christ drawn on his ribs, based on the painting The Man Of Sorrows, by Catholic artist Matthew R. Brooks.

#16- Jesus and Cherubs, Harper, 2011: David added a portrait of Jesus - styled to look like Beckham - being lifted from his tomb by cherubs, said to be representations of his three sons. Speaking about the design, the footballer said: "Obviously the cherubs are boys so my thought behind it is that at some point my boys are going to need to look after me and that's what they're doing in the picture. Everything has a meaning." And when daughter Harper Seven arrived, the proud dad had her name etched above it.

#17- love and swallow, 2011: Victoria broke the news of these latest tattoos, tweeting a picture that showed the word 'Love' had been added to David’s left hand, beside the first of two swallow designs - supposedly a symbol of family love and loyalty.

#18- Victoria, 2013: Professing his love again, he had the back of his right hand tattooed with the name "Victoria." This tattoo was in the same flourished script as the "love" tattoo that is on the back of his left hand.

#19- Lead with love, 2014: Beckham showed off his latest tattoo. Positioned on his left hand, the tattoo reads "Lead with Love" in calligraphy, in the same font as the ‘Love’ tattoo above it.