The ultimate guide to footballers' back piece tattoos Lions, religious symbols and much more
When a footballer takes off his shirt after scoring a goal, or swaps it with an opponent at the end of the match, seeing more tattoos than bare skin has long ceased to be surprising. It's obviously not something exclusive to football or sports in general, and needless to say, those who are regulars when it comes to shirtless celebrations in front the fans are by definition fond of ink. But even the less attentive have noticed the trend: under the match jersey, there’s increasingly a second, personal uniform. Sometimes with fairly subtle designs, other times with hypnotic patterns and incredibly detailed murals—especially on the canvas best suited to such artwork: the back.
One immediately thinks of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, especially since he added a roaring lion. Or Nicolás Otamendi, binge-watching on human skin, with TV show characters looking like posters from a commercial. Then there's Andre Gray, who in a 72-hour marathon had a mosaic tattooed featuring Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, and other iconic figures of black culture—whose social battles he aims to carry onto the pitch every match. Or Mauro Icardi’s back, a baroque altar, and Leroy Sané’s, a self-tribute featuring a goal against Monaco in 2017—although it was during a two-leg loss for his Manchester City. Sané himself admitted it might have been rushed: "Today I’d make different choices." Not to mention Wayne Rooney’s curious THEN on his tailbone, a nod to the "okay, then" he often repeated as a child. The styles and stories are many—each one telling a tale of self, others, or something in between.
Autobiographical back pieces
Among the endless back-pieces falling into the autobiographical trailer category, none has the emphasis and storytelling of the enormous lion on Memphis Depay’s back. "I grew up in a jungle and I have the heart of a lion,” says the Dutchman of Ghanaian origin, who endured a troubled childhood he later recounted in his autobiography "Heart of a Lion". "The lion represents me—I stood tall when everything around me was falling apart." The tattoo was a massive project, both in size and detail, requiring 24 hours of continuous work in a Manchester studio.
Another famous lion—this time more realistic—covered what little space was left on Ibrahimovic’s back in 2018. A dynamic tattoo that appears to stare at the viewer and comes to life when the Swede flexes his back muscles at the gym—as revealed on his social media. The design fits and expands with a Japanese-style Koi carp, the Buddhist sacred symbol of the Yantra of the Five Deities, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, and much more—on a body that has always demanded to speak to the public.
The same goes for Sergio Ramos, a mystical encyclopedia. On his back coexist a dreamcatcher with his initials, the phrase "only those who went hungry with me will eat at my table,” and—yet again—a lion. These pieces were conceived and executed with ink guru Rodrigo Gálvez, who has worked with many other athletes besides the former Real Madrid defender. In a recent interview, Gálvez recalled his nighttime sessions to complete the piece outside training hours.
South American symbolism
El más grande, Lionel Messi, has the most classic tattoo of all: a tribute to his mother. Unlike his arms and shoulders—where tattoos are countless—he has no backvpiece, just a single portrait of his mother Celia on his left shoulder blade. It dates back to 2010, when Leo was just 18. Arturo Vidal, on the other hand, has turned his back into a symbol of identity, featuring an Andean condor with open wings, a large cross, and the names of his children Alonso and Elisabetta. Then there’s Ederson, Manchester City’s goalkeeper, who, in addition to the usual lion (also seen on Rodrigo De Paul, Edgar Barreto, Angelino, and many others), has chosen a pair of goalkeeper gloves holding a ball, an eagle, and an angelic Christ on the nape of his neck—a mosaic summarizing his role, faith, and spirit.
The tune changes with the aforementioned Nicolas Otamendi, whose back hosts—alongside a conspicuous and curious snowflake—the faces of Thomas Shelby, Walter White (twice), and Ragnar Lothbrok, stars of the TV series Peaky Blinders, Breaking Bad, and Vikings. Along the same lines is Neymar, who in 2018—legend has it while playing online poker—made room for Batman, Spiderman, Goku, and a Power Ranger in his friend Thieres Paim’s studio. A huge script runs along his spine: BE YOUR HERO. And Neymar is certainly a hero to fellow Brazilian Richarlison, who, in the days following Brazil’s World Cup elimination in Qatar, got a massive tattoo of himself flanked by two national icons: Ronaldo and Neymar.
Staying with the Seleção, there’s also Vinicius Jr, who in 2023 flew to Los Angeles to get a tattoo from Ganga—a collage of sports icons: Kobe Bryant, Muhammad Ali, Pelé, and Michael Jordan. The tattoo went viral for a peculiar detail: MJ is portrayed shooting with his left hand—supposedly his weak side. "Even legends can switch hands,” Vini replied with humor to those pointing it out, while Ganga clarified that compositional needs led them to flip the original image.
Within the Latin sphere, one last mention for Mauro Icardi’s aforementioned back-piece. The artist behind it is Valentino Russo, tattooist to many Serie A players including Zaccagni, Insigne, Politano, Di Lorenzo, Mazzocchi, and even former Italy coach Luciano Spalletti, who had the 2023 Scudetto won with Napoli inked on his forearm. In Icardi’s case, Russo flew to Istanbul for a marathon session that completed his back mural, featuring Archangel Michael with a drawn sword and a series of mythological figures towering above portraits of his daughters. No one in Italy has forgotten Icardi’s style—one of the most iconic, yet far from the only one.
Scandinavian tattoos
Daniel Agger was likely the pioneer of tattooed footballers, and even today—years after his retirement—he remains a reference point. That’s also thanks to a Viking village sprawling across his back, featuring the silhouette of Holger Danske, a figure from Danish mythology, seated among four tombs of Danish kings. The scene is completed by three Viking heads tattooed on his lower back.
Västerås is the Swedish hometown of Victor Lindelof, a former Manchester United defender and another representative of the tattooed back. In his case, it’s a mix of styles. A reference to his birthplace is found on his lower right side, where an image of a child appears alongside a clock and a series of postcards—likely linked to cities he’s played or lived in. Completing the lower strip is a film reel that unrolls to reveal other symbols tied to Lindelof’s life. As he himself explained, many of his tattoos hold personal meaning. The upper back instead features three Roman statues facing hemispheric maps.
Lions, wings and sacred iconography
The most popular ink in the Italian league, alongside Valentino Russo, comes from Enzo Brandi, who has worked on the skin of De Rossi, Dimarco, Callejon, Calafiori, Candreva, and in the past even José Mourinho. Another world where the great predators of the savannah are well represented: the hyper-realistic cheetah of Matteo Politano, presented by Napoli’s winger as a symbol of hunger and speed; and the family — lion, lioness, and two cubs with the sea in the background — of Lorenzo Insigne. Lions can also be found on the backs of Lautaro Martinez and Gianluca Scamacca, and even Xavi Simons included one in what resembles a family portrait.
Then there’s the trend of large wings, currently relevant thanks to Brazilian Roberto Firmino, alongside stars, Bible verses, family references, and the Champions League trophy won with Liverpool. A trend that has been popular in Serie A since the days of Djibril Cissé. The most elaborate one that comes to mind is the XXL piece by Radja Nainggolan, formerly of Roma and Inter, who engraved the birth and death dates of his mother Lizy — who passed away in 2010 — above two monumental wings. "I always carry her with me," explained the Ninja, who celebrated many goals by spreading his shoulders as if to make the tattoo fly. Francesco Acerbi, in addition to a vast collection of lions across his body, also sports a pair of large wings on his back — noticed by half of Europe after his equalizer in the Champions League semifinal against Barcelona, celebrated with a shirtless roar.
Last but not least, there are the backs of Pasquale Mazzocchi and Federico Bernardeschi. The latter turned to tattoo artist Murran Billi — another well-known figure in the football world — with whom he worked on the number 13 as a tribute to Davide Astori, surrounded by a series of crosses, archangels, prayers, and other religious symbols, embedded in a maze of Renaissance motifs. An even more emphatic devotion is displayed by Mazzocchi, whose back is a massive mural of Christ’s biblical suffering: "Faith is everything," explains the Napoli wingback, "if you don’t believe in God, you believe in nothing. I’ve been heavily criticized for this tattoo, but I’m a true believer."
