Six footballers with proper mad ink as West Ham sign tattoo-crazy Gianluca Scamacca
West ham have signed tattoo-mad Gianluca Scamacca from Serie A outfit Sassuolo, but he's not the only tattoo crazy footballer, and Daily Star Sport looks at five others
Footballers love tattoos these days, and it's hard to find a footballer who doesn't have a bit of ink on their body.
And West Ham's new signing Gianluca Scamacca is no different, the 'big man with the good touch' is covered in ink from head to toe. With a neck tattoo and a sleeve covering his right arm, Scamacca is certain to catch the eye in east London.
But the Italian isn't the only footballer with 'proper mad' ink - as one Hammers fan put it. And Daily Star Sport is looking at six footballers with incredible tattoos.
Gianluca Scamacca
Where do you start with Scamacca's tats, from the start probably?
And that takes us to 13-year-old Scamacca, who celebrated a youth championship win with Roma by getting his first bit of ink. It's safe to say it's not the only part of his body he's had tattooed since then.
Scamacca's tattoos now cover the majority of his upper body - much like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who he has been compared to in Italy.
Which footballer has the best tattoo? Let us know in the comments section
Memphis Depay
It doesn't take long, after a quick scroll on Memphis Depay's Instagram, to come across his back piece.
Taking up the entirety of the Barcelona stars back is a giant black and white lion - and it's clear that Depay is a big fan of the piece of art. Speaking about it, he said: “The lion on my back represents me – I have the heart of a lion. I got it done in Manchester.
"It took a long time because it’s so big, maybe like 24 hours in total. The lion is for me, ‘the king of the jungle,’ and I always stayed on my feet even though it was rough.”
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has a surprising number of tattoos, and perhaps the most striking is his blackout calf sleeve on his left leg.
However, the PSG star has a plethora of other tattoos, including a portrait of his mum and a couple to symbolise his children. Messi also has a half-sleeve on his right arm that features a map of South America and a tribute to his hometown: Rosario.
Messi also appears to have a matching tattoo of a crown with his wife Antonela.
Matteo Politano
Matteo Politano might just have the best tattoo in world football, his huge back tattoo features some hyper-realistic eyes with a splash of colour.
The leopard took eight hours to complete over the summer of 2020, when Politano showed off his new addition to the world. As thanks to his artist, Politano presented him with a signed Napoli shirt and the message: "To Valentino, with love. You're No1."
One fan labelled the artist as the "Cristiano Ronaldo of tattoos'.
Daniel Agger
Daniel Agger is best remembered, in England, for his spell at Liverpool.
However, the former Danish defender also built himself as a legend in his homeland with Brondby, and he has remained in Copenhagen to open his own tattoo store. Of course, Agger had to practice somewhere, and the former footballer is covered in art.
Agger is covered head to toe in ink, but the most appealing to Reds fans will be the 'YNWA' across his knuckles.
Aron Gunnarsson
Aron Gunnarsson was hailed as a modern-day Viking during Iceland's magical run at Euro 2016 - and he tapped into that with his tattoos.
He said: "After the European Cup Finals in France, two years ago, I just wanted to do something special and uniquely Icelandic.
"The art is based on the official Iceland crest but it is a modified version where a few of the original elements were replaced with elements that are special to me. So in fact this is a deeply personal tattoo that I wear with pride."
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