Body art is a form of expression used by people to display their beliefs. One can decipher a person when looking at the tattoos one possesses. A lot of people use their body as a canvas to portray their feelings and since footballers are people too, something which most of us fail to realise often, they have their fair share of body art engraved in their skins.
It seems as though tattoos have become an essential part of many footballers’ life. Every achievement finds its way to their bodies, serving them as a reminder of the glorious moments from the days gone by. And, unlike the common person, they have the chance to show their inscriptions on a global scale, which gives them all the more incentive to engrave them.
While reigning Ballon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, doesn’t have a single tattoo on his body, there are many other footballers who don’t follow the same path as the Portuguese and here are 10 such players and their tattoos…
#1 Antoine Griezmann
A look at the Frenchman and one can infer that he just loves tattoos. Ending up as the third best player in the world in France Football’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, Antoine Griezmann’s right hand is just covered with tattoos.
On his upper right arm, one can see the art of Jesus Christ. He continues his religious love below as his lower right arm is covered with a drawing of a rosary bead, some clouds and stars. That’s not all, though, as the initials of his parents’ names are also engraved there as a sign of his gratitude towards them.
Finally, on his finger, there is a tattoo which translates to ‘HOPE’—something that he inspires within his fans.
#2 Sergio Ramos
It will be hard to find a spot where Sergio Ramos isn’t covered with tattoos. He has a tattoo behind his ear, lower back, right wrist, at the back, right bicep, hip, calf… pretty much almost everywhere.
One could almost say that Ramos’ body is an artwork canvas. On his left bicep, the tattoos of Mother Mary and Jesus Christ can be seen and on his lower back the names of brother and sister, Mirian and Rene, can be seen along with the number 4.
On the top-right of his back, we can see some sort of a devil engraved. On his forearm, the initials of his parents can be seen along with the number 7, a digit he considers lucky. That’s not all. The middle finger of his left hand consists of the initials of himself, his brother and sister.
The writing on his right biceps reads, “the spirit of those dead,” and the one on his left reads, “lies in the memory of those alive.” This is a self-made phrase from the Spanish defender as a tribute to the ones who have left this earth. He has also engraved the Champions League trophy on his left calf, which partners the World Cup trophy on his right.
There is a tattoo on his right wrist that is similar to the one his brother, Mirian, has. And finally, there are symbols of a cross, a dream catcher and feathers all throughout his right hand and something like a bird on his lower abdomen, putting him among the most tattooed footballer on the planet.
#3 Daniel Agger
Daniel Agger’s body is filled with a multitude of artwork. And the weirdest part is that they, according to Agger himself, they are just tattoos and have no meaning. However, we will try to decipher the inscriptions on his canvas…in other words, body.
His back resembles a graveyard that has the tombstones of kings from the years gone by. Gorm The Old, the Viking King Sven Forkbeard who brutally conquered England in 1012, the ‘Bluetooth’ King Harald who united the tribes of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and King Cnut The Great – their tombstones can all be seen on Agger’s back.
And then there is a Danish symbol, Holger the Bane. Legend has it that the statue will turn to flesh and blood if the nation is ever threatened. And that’s not all.
From engraving YWNA on the four fingers of his right hand to multiple tattoos on all over his arms and even his palms. As can be seen in the picture, he also has a tattooed chain hanging from his neck to the stomach. He is a man who just loves art embedded on his body.
#4 Marcelo
Marcelo is the first of the three Brazilians on this list who has a lot of love for tattoos. On his back neck and behind his right ear, there is a wing engraved that resembles his flying spirit. However, that is not it. The personality of the Brazilian left-back is perfectly displayed in words on his left hand as the words ‘Carpe Diem’ is placed there. If his playing style is anything to go by, he is someone who loves to seize the day.
He has an angel on his back and a cross on his right arm, in a display that depicts his firm religious beliefs. Further up on his biceps, there is a tattoo of Jesus Christ. On his lower belly, he has engraved the name of his son, Enzo. Finally, at the top of his spinal cord, one could see the letters ‘M12’ embedded. The meaning of this tattoo is relatively straightforward, the M stands for Marcelo and 12 is his jersey number with the Blancos.
#5 Neymar
Another Brazilian. Another tattoo aficionado. Neymar has so many tattoos on his body that it is hard to keep count. The one noticeable thing about the artwork is that he likes to display his love for religion. On the triceps of his left arm, there is a tattoo ‘Corintias’ that refers to a verse from the Bible.
Close to that is Neymar’s view about life as he considers it a joke and the ‘Life is a Joke’ is a perfect testament to his opinion. Below on his lower left arm is a tattoo of two praying hands which is captioned by the letters ‘fe’, which means faith and which he engraved as a good luck charm for the 2014 World Cup.
On the ring finger of his left hand, there is a tattoo of a crown. Meanwhile, the name of his sister, Rafaella, can be found on the wrist of his right hand, which is accompanied by the name of his son a little above. He didn’t leave out his mother, Nadine, as her name can be seen on the wrist of his left hand.
Before departing Brazil for Barcelona, he added two more tattoos on his left and right ankles, respectively, where the words ‘ousadia and alegria’ which means daring and joy’, can be seen. At the top of his backbone, he acknowledges the grace of God on him as we can see the word ‘Blessed’ residing there.
That’s not all. His neck contains the words ‘Tudo passa’ while the upper portion of his left arm has a diamond below the word ‘Sorella’, which means sister in Italian. This is a tattoo that he shares with his sister as she also has a similar one but with the title ‘Fratello’ (brother) instead.
#6 David Beckham
One could say that he is the king of fashion in football. Everything about him oozes class and it is no wonder that he is one of the most marketable faces in football. When it comes to body art, Beckham isn’t shy to show off his beliefs through them.
On his right hip is the tattoo of the Man of Sorrows, that he engraved after his grandfather died, accompanied by a Chinese proverb on the left hip which translates to, “life and death have determined appointments, riches and honour depend upon heaven.” The name of his daughter can be seen on his left collarbone whilst the number ‘VII’, his jersey number while at United, is engraved on his lower right arm. His wife, Victoria, can be seen on his lower left arm, a tattoo inspired from a Brigitte Bardot photoshoot.
His left chest consists of himself as Jesus with his three sons as cheerubs, who are pictured lifting him out of the tomb. The former England skipper’s back contains numerous drawings, including the names of his children, Brooklyn and Romeo. And in the middle of these two names is a sketch of the guardian angel, which was his first tattoo.
Finally, his arms are filled with complex designs that include a female figure, the name of his wife, Victoria, in Sanskrit and numerous intricate illustrations that catch the eye.
#7 Toby Alderweireld
An interesting player with even more interesting tattoos, Toby Alderweireld has his own unique sense of fashion when it comes to body art. One could almost say that the engravings on his body are as underrated as he is.
The biceps of his right arm contains a tattoo of the cross/crucifix along with a rosary bead. Over on the other side, his left arm consists of the saying, “Each day I come closer to the home where I was born.” Just below that is a drawing of what appears to Jesus Christ.
His chest has the names of his brothers, Sven and Steven, engraved on them. Finally, on his right arm is the sketch of the Cathedra; of Antwerpen, the city he considers his home.
#8 Dani Alves
The third and the (spoiler alert) final Brazilian player on this is none other than Dani Alves. This list would be incomplete without him as he has some fine tattoos engraved on his body. We will start off with the Jesus Christ art on the lower portion of his left arm.
Above the tattoo of Jesus lies the crucifix. The name of his son, Daniel, can be seen on his chest which is accompanied by his daughter’s name, Victoria, on the lower abdomen.
He is a loving husband and a look at top right arm will give you a perfect idea why. The face of his wife, Dinorah, is embedded over the area. He has numerous more designs all over his arms, which is a little difficult to make sense of via the naked eye.
#9 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has almost everything. He is cool, he is funny, tall, a brilliant player and an extremely artistic set of tattoos all over his body, so many that we have lost count. However, we will list out the prominent ones and leave the rest for you to figure out from the picture above. There is a design of a fish on the left-top area of his back and a dragon on his right hip accompanied closely by a pack of Aces.
On his left rib, the saying, ‘Only God can judge me,’ is engraved. The Swede also displays his affection for his parents as his mother’s name, Jurka, can be found on his left arm while his father’s name, Sefik, can be seen on his right.
There is an Arabic inscription on his right triceps that reads his family name, Ibrahimovic. At the biceps area of his right arm, the names of his sons, Vincent and Maximilian, can be seen. On both his wrists, there are engravings that he labels as ‘Ibrahmovic code’ which contains the birth dates of his parents, siblings and children.
#1 Lionel Messi
And finally, Lionel Messi. We will start off with his wand of a left leg where we can see the two little hands accompanied by the name of his son, Thiago. The Argentine also loves his mother dearly and hence has her face tattooed on the left-top corner of his back.
An eye-catching design with his jersey number 10 can be seen on the calf of his right leg. And his most recent inscription follows a religious theme which can be seen all over his right arm. A rose window design encloses his elbow and the design is completed by a picture of Jesus Christ sitting at the very top of it, giving it an impressive outlook overall.
