Tattoos have become a common sight in football, with many players using body art to express their personal stories—Jadon Sancho is no exception, proudly wearing his journey inked across both arms.
It can also be seen from the young age at 18 to playing at Dortmund and all the way now at Chelsea, the winger has updated the ink work on his arms, and he’s spoken about how he will continue to do so.
Each piece of ink tells a story, reflecting his life experiences, personal tributes, and nostalgic references to his childhood.
One of Sancho’s most poignant tattoos is located on his left forearm, dedicated to his younger brother, who tragically passed away during his childhood. This tattoo features a heartfelt poem that Sancho wrote for his brother’s funeral, it captures the love he has for his brother and the grief felt after his passing.
You and me will stay together, you made us happy, you brought us joy, you were a special baby boy. I couldn’t wait till you grew up, teach you football and win the cup. But you’re gone what can I do? Baby brother, we love you.
Encircling the poem are various symbolic tattoos, each representing peace and a connection to heaven, further deepening his emotional tribute to his brother.
The elegant tattoos around the poem are birds in flight, an angel, a butterfly, flowers, leaves, and a beautiful rose, each adding a delicate layer of meaning to his heartfelt tribute and connection to his brother.
He also has the initials of his brother and sister tattooed and filled in, on the upper part of his left arm.
Sancho has also spoken about how the tattoo is not just a reminder of his brother but also a source of inspiration. In an interview with FourFourTwo magazine Sancho says, “All I want is to make him proud. He is my inspiration.”
While Sancho’s left arm is a personal nod to his family, the right is a more colourful gathering of cartoon characters that he loves and has loved growing up.
Sancho, a big fan of Spider-Man, has the superhero inked on the lower part of his right arm with a spiderweb in the background. Fans know about his love for Spiderman since he shared a bit of banter with ex teammate Bruno Fernandes and his Batman pyjamas.
The famous cartoon, Simpsons also makes an appearance on Sancho’s right arm, with the ink featuring Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie.
His love for cartoons doesn’t stop there, the winger also sports a Sonic the Hedgehog tattoo on the side of his right arm, which is also filled in with colour. This tattoo drew so much attention that Sonic Stadium, the largest Sonic the Hedgehog community tweeted in support of Sancho and are now fans of the winger.
It’s also interesting to note that in FC 24, Sancho’s sonic tattoo is blacked out but the Simpsons tattoo isn’t. This is because EA holds the license to Simpsons and not Sonic.
If we observe some images of Sancho’s right arm carefully, it can also be seen that Sancho has a pair of cartoon styled eyes tattooed on the underside of his arm, near his triceps.
We are yet to deduce what this tattoo might signify, but judging by the others on the right arm, it is highly likely its a reference to a video game or a movie/TV show.
Part of the same piece is Avatar Aang, the famous character from the popular TV Show, Avatar: The Last Airbender.
The right forearm of Jadon Sancho is also inked up, but features a tattoo that he hasn’t spoken about and not much is known of it either.
What it looks like is an image of a girl, probably a movie character, this is the core piece which is surrounded by a card with the letter “A” maybe referring to an Ace, and a couple of roses which almost extend till his wrist.
These are the primary tattoo’s on Sancho’s right arm, a more relaxed and freestyle expression of his childhood. The same arm also features other characters and the phrase “Game Over” filled in with blue colour.
Sancho has indicated that his right arm tattoos are not yet complete, and he intends to add more designs in the future, in an interview with Manchester United he said, “This isn’t finished yet – obviously there’s Spiderman, Sonic, The Simpsons…I haven’t finished yet so there’s more to come.” so keep an eye out for more cartoons we might see on the wingers body.