Tattoos: A status symbol among footballers
There is something that any self-respecting footballer can't be without these days: a tattoo. The more and the bigger they are, the better. Whether or not they actually look good is in the eye of the beholder.
A collector of titles and tattoos
Until he became a father, the lower arms of Germany midfielder Toni Kroos were tattoo-free zones. But that changed for the Real Madrid star with the births of Leon and Amelie. He has Leon's face – along with his name and birth date on his left arm, while Amelie's name and birthday is on his right – just in case he ever forgets the names of his children…
Loved ones under the skin
David Beckham also has those nearest and dearest to him under his skin. The former England, Manchester United and Los Angeles Galaxy star has the names of his children as well as a portrait of his wife Victoria tattooed on his body. He also has tattoos of Jesus and angels, as well as a quotation from the bible: "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine." Isn't that sweet!
Social conscience
Three years ago then-Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic complimented his real tattoos with the names of 50 starving people, representative for the 805 million undernourished people on the planet. The Swedish star took off his jersey to reveal the artwork after scoring a goal. He was rewarded with the yellow card.
Room for another World Cup
Apart from long passages of text, Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng's tattoos include symbols from the world of football. He has a tattoo of the official Champions League ball on his right elbow, and after Germany won the World Cup in 2014, he had the trophy tattooed on his calf. There is, however, still room for the 2018 World Cup…
A reminder of who he is
Borussia Dortmund's oft-injured star Marco Reus is well-loved but doesn't feel the need to display it in tattoo form. Unlike other footballers, he chooses not to walk around with the names and/or images of his mother, wife or children tattooed all over his body. He simply has his own name and date of birth on his lower left arm.
Below the belt
We all know how daring Barcelona's star striker Lionel Messi can be with the ball at his feet, but what is not as well documented is that he can be the same way when it comes to his choice of tattoos. The diminutive Argentine has gone with a red-lips tattoo – just below the belt.
A black stocking
Before that, Messi caused a stir on social media with his stocking tattoo. Last year he had his left lower leg colored almost completely black to hide previous tattoos, which had evidently fallen out of favor.
Baptismal verse
Cologne goalkeeper Timo Horn likes his tattoos big and with a religious theme. This one, which features his baptismal verse, was done by his favorite tattoo artist, Oscar Boge, who has been known to travel great distances to work on his many customers from the footballing world – during the little downtime they have in the sport's packed calendar.
There's no improving on perfection...
Suntan lotion, expensive skin creams and expensive perfume from his own collection are all that Cristiano Ronaldo allows on his skin. The Real Madrid and Portugal superstar takes off his shirt to reveal his six-pack on every possible occasion.
The artist of choice
This is the man whom more and more players from the Bundesliga and abroad are getting to do their tattoos. Oscar "Da Vinci" Boge (right) says he collects footballers like some footballers collect trophies. Here he is seen with one of his more prominent customers, Germany and Manchester City attacker Leroy Sane .