Jerseys fade, face paint smears, and those foam “number 1” fingers get bent out of shape – eventually — but there are more enduring expressions of loyalty toward one team, like full-body jersey tattoos. Soccer fans take team spirit to new heights with permanent ink.
Colombian soccer fan Felipe Alvarez looks at his partially completed Atletico Nacional jersey tattoo in Medellin, Colombia on October 9, 2010. Raul Arboled—AFP/Getty ImagesSoccer fan Delneri Viana poses for a photo in his home, decorated with Botafogo colors in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 8, 2014. Viana has 83 and counting tattoos and never wears anything without the team's emblem.Felipe Dana—APJohn Westwood poses for a photo in his home in Portsmouth, England on May 1, 2010. In 1989 John Westwood changed his name to John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood. Westwood has over 60 Portsmouth tattoos on his body. Sam Bagnall—AMAAn Ajax soccer fan shows off his tattoo at Amsterdam Arena during the team's opening day on August 3, 2011.Olaf Kraak—AFP/Getty ImagesAn Arsenal fan shows his tattoo before the Champions League final soccer match against at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, France on May 17, 2006.Darren Staples —ReutersEngland fans drink beer on a cafe terrace in Lisbon efore England and France play the first match of UEFA Euro 2004 on June 13, 2004. Nacho Doce—ReutersSoccer fan Martin Hueschen admires his new tattoo of Germany's soccer trophy and Borussia Dortmund soccer club's coach Juergen Klopp, at a tattoo shop in Unna, Germany on April 20, 2011. Wolfgang Rattay—ReutersBritish soccer fan with a tattooed face smiles prior to England's first match of the Euro 2012 soccer championships against France on June 11, 2012 in Donetsk, Ukraine. on Monday.Vasily Fedosenko—ReutersCarlos Eduardo poses for a photo showing his Botafogo's tattoos in Petropolis, Brazil on May 17, 2014.Felipe Dana—APA Liverpool fan kisses a tattoo with the Liverpool soccer club's emblem outside a pub before the Champions League final match between AC Milan and Liverpool on May 24, 2005 in Istanbul.Kai Pfaffenbach—Reuters/Corbis Felipe da Costa Almeida poses for a photo showing his tattoo of the Christ Redeemer statue over the Maracana stadium, backgrounded by the Flamengo soccer club initials in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 30, 2014.Felipe Dana—AP
