Imagine this – a young lad entering the pitch in the Manchester United home kit, with free-flowing golden locks, and slick tattoos all over and taking control of the midfield.
Doesn’t it remind us of a certain David Beckham? And don’t confuse him with Alejandro Garnacho either. He is the new Manchester United prodigy – Isak Hansen-Aarøen.
Isak Hansen-Aarøen, the 19-year-old Norwegian wonderkid lighting up Manchester United’s youth ranks, isn’t just making headlines with his silky dribbling and nutmeg-inducing skills. His body art is also turning heads, sparking conversations about his discipline and youthful rebellion.
His love for tattoos is well-established by now with body art under his chin, adjacent to his neck tattoo and it appears to be something scribbled. Just a reminder, he is still a teenager.
The Norwegian international has several imprinted tattoos to display.
His arm sleeves are adorned with various motifs, including angels, skulls, tiger eyes, flowers, and several Norwegian inscriptions. A Viking ship sailing across his arm pays homage to his Norwegian heritage, while a prominent butterfly tattoo is captured on his neck.
His abdomen showcases a dragon tattoo complemented by inscriptions in elegant fonts. Moreover, his back is adorned with an expansive and intricate decorative inking.
A striking tattoo on his chest portrays a painter standing atop his crated statue art, surrounded by his other paintings.
The tattoo captures the moment when the painter inscribes a motivational quote in Norwegian, which translates to English, concludes to “chasing tiny dreams”.
Another tattoo, engraved with the words ‘boss’ and ‘love,’ adorns the back of his hand at perpendicular cross sections. These are just a handful among the numerous others on his body canvas.
Isak is an avid crime-thriller movie enthusiast, and his tattoos are a testament to it. Adorning his left calf muscle is a tattoo portraying a scene from the renowned 1994 crime thriller ‘Pulp Fiction.’
This tattoo pays homage to the iconic apartment intervention scene starring Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta. Above this scene, the movie’s release year, ‘1994,’ is also inked.
On his left knee, another tattoo captures a scene from the 2008 Batman movie, ‘The Dark Knight.’ This particular tattoo showcases the pivotal introductory bank robbery scene that introduces the audiences to the infamous Joker character for the first time. Adjacent to this tattoo, the letter ‘D’ is also intricately inked.
Moreover. the Norwegian midfielder has quite a number of tattoos dedicated to his family, and according to him, those are closest to his heart.
Likewise, there is an inscription on the back of his dedicated to his grandfather which reads, ‘The good thing about life is that it’s never too late to do the right things.’
Isak got his first at the young age of 16. Speaking about his inspiration in an interview with VG, he revealed “I have a dad with some tattoos. I have always liked it”.
“When I first started, there was no turning back. I don’t think too much about it. It’s just part of my skin now,”
The 19-year-old heartily admitted that these tattoos were quite time-consuming and painful. Speaking about his most difficult tattoo, he expressed, “The worst was under the arm here. I had an early flight and hadn’t eaten much, so I think my body was just really tired.”
He went on to open up about how difficult it was for the teenager to leave his family and settle alone in an unknown land. Amidst this, these tattoos made him feel close to his dear ones. He did admit that his Manchester United teammates helped a lot to accustom him to his new life. By the looks of his blonde hair and tattoos, it feels like Garnacho must have had a role.
However, these excessive body inks have not sat well among football critics. These traditionalists tagged his tattoos as a distraction from the focus required for professional success. They even went public on social media and labeled him as a distracted ‘brat’ and a ‘damaged kid’.
Others have started searching on the internet to find his counterparts. They have begun drawing parallels between him and various personalities. From Machine Gun Kelly to Garnacho; he had had to hear them all.
Some have hilariously suggested a new career option suited to his looks if his footballing career doesn’t take off.
However, majority have been sympathetic towards the midfielder and voiced their support for the teenager. According to them, he should be left alone. After all, it is his personal life.
And rightly so. If he does perform like he has been and bring results to the table, who are we to say what he does in his personal life? It is not as if a tattoo is synonymous with lack of focus.
If he needs validation for it, just turn down the history pages in Manchester United, and he will come across names like Beckham, Ibrahimović, and Memphis Depay.
Isak Hansen-Aarøen made his debut for Erik Ten Hag in a friendly 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano in August 2022. Currently, he is a regular for the Manchester United under 21 squad registering 5 goals and 2 assists in his 45 games.
The midfielder has already been under the radar of football purists. He just needs to ensure that he has his undivided focus on the field and not let the lifestyle get the better of him.
