World Football's 10 Worst Tattoos

Sean DowlingContributor IIIMarch 26, 2011

World Football's 10 Worst Tattoos

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    Pictured is Djibril Cisse after a friendly for his native France. He is literally covered in ink.

    His most famous tattoos are generated from his goal scoring exploits. Cisse adds a leopard spot to his body after every goal he scores. But getting leopard print down your arm isn't even good enough to make this list, he comes in as an honorable mention.

    The following is a tribute to the worst tattoos in world football, enjoy.

10. Christian Vieri

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    This is Italian striker Christian Vieri trying to find a spotter at his local YMCA. He has obviously put tremendous thought into his tattoos.

    The Chinese characters should be bigger, and the arrow I'm sure has deep personal symbolism.

9. Antonio Cassano

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    Not sure what is on the top of Antonio Cassano's back. I think it's two eels trying to eat each other. It looks like it was drawn by a drunk four-year-old.

8. Torsten Frings

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    Where'd you get your tattoos?..The '90s. 

    Torsten Frings shows off his sweet tribal designs and has since added to it. Now the ink stretches all the way down his right arm. At least he's fully committed to embarrassing himself.

7. Clint Dempsey

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    Not quite sure of Clint's thought process here.

    Jesus? Angel? Roman Warrior?

    Oh OK, all of the above. With a homeless guy lying on the ground on the right. Add fire border for effect.

6. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

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    You cannot question Zlatan's technical ability and close-control of a football. But what you can question is why he has "Pocket Aces" tattooed to his rib cage surrounded by a red dragon that ends on his upper back. (You know, two things that totally correspond)

    Zlatan may be an avid card player, I'm not sure. But not even guys that win the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas are rocking ink like that.

5. Marco Matterazzi

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    Multicolored diamonds, skulls, flowers, numerous quotes and sayings written in various languages all over his body.

    After his despicable behaviour insulting Zindane's mother and sister, which resulted in the most famous sending off in football history, Materazzi had the World Cup trophy tattooed to his thigh with the date and German city (written in Italian) where the Italians famously won after Marco converted his penalty.

4. Artur Boruc

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    This is a photo of Fiorentina GK Artur Boruc's stomach.

    In addition to this embarrassing tattoo, Boruc also has "Addicted To" written down his neck vertically, which stretches at least five to six inches down from his right ear lobe. The monkey tattoo is humorous, but people won't be laughing with him, they'll be laughing at him.

3. Wayne Rooney

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    Wayne Rooney's flesh is peeling off his right forearm and revealing the title from one of his favorite bands' CD.

    The tat reads "Just Enough Education to Perform." Absolutely fascinating, right?

    Rooney is a remarkable talent, and no doubt one of the best strikers in EPL history, but it is also clear he chose to bail on book smarts a long time ago.

    The quote is from the Welsh band Stereophonics who famously told Wayne they "wished he'd transfer to Leeds."

    Rooney also inexplicably has his wife's name as a tattoo, which is obviously very meaningful to him after he was caught with a prostitute that he paid over a thousand euros to earlier this season. 

2. Fernando Torres

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    This is El Nino's left forearm. Looks interesting, I wonder what that says? What language is that Fernando?

    That is "Fernando" written in Elvish. Elvish, as in elf. Elvish as in Lord of the Rings movies. Hobbits, troll and wizard font. 

    Those movies are entertaining, but to say El Nino is a super fan would be a massive understatement. Who's qualified to translate this? Probably some 40-year-old guy still living in his parents basement.

    Torres's former team-mate from Atletico Sergio "El Kun" Aguero also has similar imagery on his right forearm.

1. David Beckham

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    Not all of Beckham's tats are bogus. Some are trendy and look cheap, like the Old English lettering. But for the most part he was the catalyst to tattoos in football.

    He's also the most highly publicized inked footballer, so it's a shame he's on the top of this list.  But when your wife's name is tattooed on your left forearm and spelled wrong, in another language; that is a failure of epic proportions.

    If you look closely you can see the black Sanskrit font down his left arm. Somewhere through his research, (or lack there of) Becks got his wife's name lost in translation. He added an "H" to the middle of his wife Victoria's name. Maybe it's a silent H?

    I guess it's the thought that counts though, right?

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