The World Cup in Brazil has been described as the best in
the tournament's history, with more goals and upsets than usual. Audiences have
also noticed an explosion in tattoos. But what stories do they tell? TATTOOS
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| Cagliari Calcio and Chile, Mauricio Pinilla |
Mauricio Pinilla, Chile
This is the most "World Cup" of World Cup tattoos.
Inked in in just the last few days, it serves to remind striker Pinilla of his
own near-miss in extra time during the second-round game against Brazil. Chile
were later knocked out on penalties, with Pinilla having his attempt saved. The
line "One centimetre from glory" adds to the tattoo's hair-shirt
quality. "It illustrates the depth of despair this individual is feeling,"
says David Fletcher, a sports psychologist at Loughborough University.
"It's interesting that the tattoo is on his back, rather than his arm or
wrist. It suggests that he's not using it as a spur to further action but more
of a statement of how close he came to glory."
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| Spain and Real Madrid defender, Sergio Ramos |
Sergio Ramos, Spain
The twin offerings - one on each calf - from the Real Madrid
player show the World Cup and Champions League trophies. Spain did not win the
former until 2010, while Real had to wait 12 years to take the latter for a
record 10th time. Ramos and his teammates had high hopes of retaining the World
Cup trophy in Brazil, but they were knocked out in the first round. "Not
every tattoo has a narrative, and even those that do are often contrived,"
says Matt Lodder, a body art historian at the University of Essex.
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| Netherlands and AC Milan midfield 'Destroyer' Niger de Jong |
Nigel de Jong, Netherlands
The artist Ade Itameda, who draws inspiration from
traditional Indonesian ornaments, patterns and carvings, designed the
warrior-like tattoos covering the torso, arms and hands of midfielder Nigel de
Jong. "The warrior theme shows just how central the World Cup is to his
very being," says David Fletcher. "It demonstrates that this one,
gladiatorial moment in his life is core to his being and that there is no doubt
in his mind that this is the defining moment of his life. It's not just a game
to these guys. They've trained a whole lifetime and it comes down to a few
moments."
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| Italy and Roma midfielder, Daniele de Rossi |
Daniele de Rossi, Italy
The midfielder plays up his own tough approach, which has
sometimes got him into trouble, with a mocked-up triangular "hazard"
sign of a tackle being performed. It looks like a warning of a slippery floor
left behind by an office cleaner. But the tattoo has a bit of extra edge, as
the opponent's leg is hacked away. Because of the need to wear socks during
football matches, it is usually seen only in training.
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| Brazil and Barcelona sensation, Neymar |
Neymar, Brazil
The injured superstar's neck inscription has a philosophical
edge, much-needed following his team's semi-final performance. The expression
"Tudo Passa" translates into "Everything passes" or
"Nothing lasts" in English. Neymar, who left the tournament early
with a broken backbone, had to watch as his side were beaten 7-1 by Germany. At
least he has the consolation of being only 22 years old, with a chance of
making amends for the team in 2018 and 2022. Neymar also has tattoos on his
legs saying "Ousadia" and "Alegria", meaning
"daring" and "joy", both of which he commissioned before
joining Barcelona last year.
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| Liverpool and England winger, Raheem Sterling |
Raheem Sterling, England
The teenage winger draws inspiration from his childhood in
west London, choosing a picture of a 10-year-old boy staring up in wonder at
Wembley Stadium's famous arch, accompanied by the statement: "It's a
dream." "Wembley was literally around the corner," he has said.
"I used to ride my bike round this little car park that was by the
stadium. It's something that I've always wanted - to play for England and be
the best I can be as a footballer."
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| Fenerbache and Portugal midfielder, Raul Meireles |
The montage adorning the entire right leg of the midfielder,
who plays his club football in Turkey, works like an autobiography/travelogue.
Designs include the baroque Torre dos Clerigos church in Meireles' home city of
Porto, a cable car (either in Porto or Lisbon, according to the
Anglo-Portuguese Society) and a Portuguese Fado guitar. There is a depiction of
the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, where his club Fenerbahce is based, at the top of
the thigh. This is reached via a red telephone box above the knee - a reminder
of Meireles' time playing for Chelsea and Liverpool.
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| USA and Everton goalkeeper, Tim Howard |
Tim Howard, USA
The shot-stopper par excellence is one of the most decorated
of the players on display in Brazil. He has a Superman logo, dragons and a
crucifix among his tattoo collection. It also includes pictures of his mother
as a young woman and his grandfather in military uniform, which he had done at
the Aurora studio in Lancaster in May. "He brought in some photographs to
work from," says co-owner Sam Wisniewski. "He had obviously thought
about what he wanted and he sat down and talked about it. If the design is
really personal and we know the full story, that makes the design much
better." Unlike most players, Howard does not usually remove his shirts
after matches. In this picture, he was baring his torso as part of a campaign
for the animal rights group Peta.
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| Barcelona and Argentina ace, Lionel Messi |
Lionel Messi, Argentina
Messi has his son Thiago's name tattooed on to his left
calf, underneath a pair of hands, presumably based on those of the child. They
are not believed to refer to fellow countryman Diego Maradona's "hand of
God" goal against England in the quarter-final of the 1986 World Cup.
Messi's effort is seldom witnessed in matches because it is usually covered by
a sock.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
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| Portugal and Real Madrid talisman |
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
The Portugal captain is something of a counter-culturalist
in modern football, choosing not to have any tattoos. The reason? He frequently
gives blood and it's not recommended that people do so soon after getting a
tattoo or body piercing, for fear of spreading infections. In fact, it's banned
within four months in the UK.
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