Footballers and football fans have had a strong affinity towards inking their bodies with images or writing of clubs, players, trophies etc. Etching them down permanently signifies and becomes a way to demonstrate one’s long-term commitment.
Sergio Ramos is perhaps the best example of a player using tattoos to celebrate his relationship with his beloved club, Real Madrid. Etched on his body are details of his 2014 UCL Final stoppage-time goal, a list of UCL titles he won with Madrid as well as squad numbers he has worn throughout the year.
More direct celebration of clubs through tattoos arrives from fans who like to inscribe club crests onto their bodies. It becomes easier for fans as they usually do support just the one club whereas very few players can boast of having played for just one club which makes tattoos a risky choice if indeed the player leaves the specific club.
But sometimes even a small minority of fans have struggles picking just one club to support and it looks like this English supporter’s tattoo reveals this very issue.
Through a recent image shared on Twitter, this supporter revealed that he supports both Manchester United and Swansea City as he sported a half and half of both teams’ crests on his arm. The top section of this strange tattoo has half of United’s crest while the bottom half has that of Swansea’s.
Although this experimental tattoo has turned a few heads online, it has not gone down well with most football fans. As there is an inherent dislike towards fans who support more than one club, also known as ‘plastic fans’, this dual option has been criticized by many supporters.
The lack of quality of the tattoo too has been highlighted by online supporters and it has been compared to other poorly done engravings such as this Jimi Hendrix fan’s tattoo of the famous singer.
With a majority of the footballing community online having given their verdict on the tattoo, needless to say, it does fit the description of one of football’s strangest tattoos.
