Most fans may not have known that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has 14 tattoos on his upper body even though he once said he could not stand the thought of one. Now they give him a ‘boost’.

His shirts cover the tattoo which he could not reveal during official matches as football regulations forbid any message whatsoever being displayed.

It was for that reason that Nigeria’s Odion Ighalo got booked when he revealed the message: “Thank You Jesus” written on his under shirt in last September 4-0 defeat of Cameroon.

Ibrahimovic also got cautioned when he went against his coach’s instruction at Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League last 16 clash with Chelsea last year. He was booked.

According to UK tabloid, The Sun, Ibrahimović once said he could not stand the thought of having tattoo. Now they give him a ‘boost’.

“I was against them in the beginning. Thought they were in bad taste. But I got tempted anyway.”  Here are the tattoo he carries and the meaning of them.

1 Right wrist: These numbers are known as the ‘Ibrahimovic code’ and refer to the birthdates of the males in his family. They feature his father Sefik, late brother Sapko, other brother Aleksander and the days on which his two sons Maximilian, nine, and Vince, eight, were born.

 

2 Right arm: On the top of his right arm, Ibrahimovic has the names of his two sons in Arabic fonts.

 

3 Right bicep: Below them lies ‘Sefik’. Zlatan and his father had little money and in his book, the striker tells of when they had to carry home a bed from Ikea because they could not afford the delivery charges.

 

4 Right oblique: Two playing cards. The ace of hearts features a letter ‘H’ inside it and this is thought to be in honour of his wife Helena Seger. The ace of clubs is apparently a good luck symbol.

 

5 Right side: This red dragon is to show off his warrior personality and comes from Japanese culture.

 

6 Left wrist: Ibrahimovic has the birthdates of his mother Jurka and sister Sanela here. Unlike the men, the women of Zlatan’s life go on the left side because they are closer to his heart. The men are on the right because the superstar believes that represents
strength.

 

7 Left bicep: Jurka, the name of his mother, in Arabic font.

 

8 Stomach: This is the tattoo Ibrahimovic says comes out only when he is tanned – and was his first. He said: “The first tattoo I got was my name across my waist in white ink. You can only see it when I have a tan. It was mainly a test.”

To the side of this he has the message: “Only God can judge me.”

Of this tat, Ibra said: “They could write whatever they wanted in the
papers. Scream anything at all from the stands.

“They still couldn’t get at me. Only God could judge me! I liked that. You have to go your own way, so I got those words tattooed on me.”

 

9 Left shoulder blade: A grey koi fish. The colour is thought to be
significant as grey koi are wild, as opposed to orange ones bred in ponds.  Koi can swim upstream and in his book, Ibrahimovic said he chose the fish because it “went against the grain”.

 

10 Lower back: A recent addition, this is Leonardo da Vinci’s
‘Vitruvian Man’. It shows ideal human proportions and the original drawing dates to around 1490.

 

11 Right shoulder blade: This feather is said to come from an eagle and represent strength and courage. It’s ancrestry appears to be Native American.

 

12 Right arm: Maori tribal symbol to protect him, his family and bring good luck.

 

13 Right shoulder blade: A Buddhist monk image called Yant Prajao Khao Nirote, this protects from suffering.

 

14 Back: Another Buddhist feature, this represents the five elements of wind, water, fire, space and creative perception and is called Five Deva Faces Yantra.