The eleven tattoos of Zlatan

Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is known not only for his talent as a football player but also for his passion for tattoos. He has eleven of them drawn all over his physique, mostly relating to his family and beliefs and as good luck charms.
by: Xaviniesta


1- The most striking design, a red dragon on his back, is said to be a metaphor for his personality.

2- The symbols on his wrists known as the "Ibrahimovic Code" are actually the birth dates of his parents and three siblings.

3- When his son Maximilian was born he had his name written on his right arm.

4- His second son Vincent's name was later added to Maximilian's.

His sons' birthdays were also added to the "Ibrahimovic Code" on his wrist.

5- The family name Ibrahimovic is written in Arabic on the back of his right arm.

6- The tribal drawing supposedly symbolizes the family's good fortune.

7- His mother's name Jurka is tattooed on his left arm.

8- His father Šefik's name is on his right arm. His parents' names and the Ibrahimovic Code were his earliest tattoos.

9- The words "Only God Can Judge Me" on his belly supposedly show both his religious and rebellious nature.

10- He supposedly got this unique white ink tattoo for a commercial but later decided to keep it.

11- His latest tattoo is a drawing of two poker cards, the aces of hearts and clover placed near the dragon symbol as a good luck charm.

Read more:
Ten Things You Should Know About Zlatan
Bojan's first tattoo
Zlatan's cars

Henry: "Catalonia is not Spain"

Barcelona player Thierry Henry gave an interview to Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.





Why are people always that critical? Even about Messi, people are saying he's playing regular lately.
It's normal. If you score three goals every game and you don't play well the next, that's... Leo is leo, it's a genius. If you don't have quality, it's very difficult to understand someone who does. What he does is not normal. Every genius, those who play or those who paint, is difficult to understand.

You expect every opponent to play tough from now on? How would you have to deal with those kind of games with an opponent who focuses on kicking and a referee who doesn't pull cards?
I really didn't see a team like Espanyol kicking a lot. I've played in England for eight years and there they kick. I didn't see anything here yet. Here you cannot touch anyone, if you do, it's card, card, card. In the cup against Atlético, is was over the top. Sometimes when you just jump for a header, the referee already indicates that it's a fault. Men like Alan Shearer wouldn't have been able to play here.

What's the last thing you read and learnt something from?
I didn't read a lot lately, but the last ting that had an impact on me was an autobiography of NBA coach Phil Jackson. In the book he explains how Michael Jordan made fifty points and his team didn't win. It was only when he started to play for the team that Chicago started winning and that Jordan became the best player in the world thanks to his teammates. It's a nice lesson.

You who has the reputation of being a little grumpy, are you going through the best moment since you arrived in Barcelona?
The team is playing better, one enjoys more. The thing is that in the big games in December I played well, I've scored in important games and I've changed a little the general opinion about me. But without the team you cannot do that. It's true that if you get a good ball from behind that puts you in a one on one, everything is easier than when you have three defenders before you.

But you also have more confidence.
Last year was a string of events. I arrived injured, I played because of my own fault, I forced myself and I shouldn't have done that. It was hard to regain the trust of the fans, we weren't playing well, it was difficult for me to understand the new way of playing. Moving to another place, learning a new language, that makes it all hard.

You had a hard time adapting?
What I think is this: Catalonia is not Spain, it's something else and you have to feel that. Barça is another story. When you arrive here from Arsenal it's surprising to see so many people, it's a shock. You have to live it if you want to understand it. In England there's a different mentality. When I left England after eight years, it wasn't easy. But after eight months, when my back didn't hurt anymore, it was time to gain some confidence and win back the people.

You already feel loved?
The truth is, yes. Last season, in the stadium, we went through moments that were very tough, although justified because we didn't win anything, we didn't do anything. I'm my own first criticiser. It was difficult to hold on. This year, people were happier.

When you played at Arsenal, you were already a symbol, and you're still, but people keep questioning you.
I like it when people question me. I demand a lot from myself, so it's normal other people do the same. The real problem will be when they won't question me anymore. The fans expect a lot from Leo, from Samu, from myself, from the whole squad. It has been that way all my life. My father has always told me: "You have to give more." If I have scored three goals, people ask why I didn't score four. Yes, I'm going home being satisfied, yes, but there's always a question mark.

You're on your way to turn 32. You would like to finish your career here?
Of course I would like that. I always say that and sometimes it's like people aren't paying attention. I love the city, it's February and look at that sun. How hard it might have been last year, in the streets, people always were supportive. You can live good here, the food is great. We're in one of the three, four best clubs in the world. It's normal I want to finish here. Wearing this shirt is an honour. But before you understand the shirt, you have to understand the club, the city. Last year I only understood things very late in the season: I was in the northern hemisphere and the club in the southern.

How would you like to be remembered in ten years?
I don't know. A career isn't only about one or two years, it's a journey of 15 years. For me that's the most important thing. Sometimes you have a difficult year but in the end people look at your whole career to make a judgment.

The first time we met was in 2001 when you went to see a basketball game in New York, invited by Philadelpia player Allen Iverson.
Oh yes! The Bulls were my first team though, I like Iverson more as a person than as a player. I'm friends with Tony Parker, Ronny Turiaf and Steve Nash.

You have plans to invest in a French basketball team together with Parker?
No, that's not true. Maybe something else but I can't talk about that.

The tattoo on your left wrist. What is it about?
(shows it for a few seconds) It has nothing to do with a friend, or with my daughter, or any of the other stuff that has been said. It's just a private thing. I put this tattoo for myself. (brings the tattoo to his nose as he leaves)

Yeah, yeah, yeah.


This was the second and last part of this interview. You can read the first part here:
Henry: "This team never surrenders"

Read more:
Henry becomes fifth European goalscorer
The man who changed Henry's luck
Henry will be put for sale in the summer

Bojan's first tattoo

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that the tattoo that recently appeared on the right shoulder of Barcelona player Bojan Krkic (18) - and that would be his first tattoo - would represent a phoenix, a mythical sacred firebird.

Read more:
The Arabic tattoo of Busquets
The man who changed Henry's luck
Puyol: "Tattoos are one of my passions"

The man who changed Henry's luck

author: Juan Manuel Díaz
source: Sport




THE TATTOO THAT CHANGED HENRY'S LUCK

After scoring in the game against Almería, Thierry began a ritual that is already a habit: with every goal, he kisses his right wrist

The first one was Angel Cuéllar, "coincidentally, because we had friends in common", explains Luis Tattoo. "Afterwards came Figo, Abelardo, Luis Enrique, Puyol and the Espanyol guys, Posse, Jofre, Lobo, De la Peña; and then Frank Rijkaard, Valdés..."

Luis follows the photographer's instructions sitting in an old dentist's chair that adorns the front entrance to the premises. "It belonged to a prestigious surgeon, Dr. Caralt, one of the first doctors to do heart transplants", he explains. Then later, returning to his work, he comments that a lot of football players "came at times that were kind of special to them. 'Puyi', before winning the first league; Rijkaard, before the Champions League win in Paris; Iván, before winning the King's Cup."

Luis Tattoo has put his 'good luck charms', inspired by polynesian mythology, on a lot of Barcelona stars during the last 15 years, convinced that his art helps them bring out the best in themselves on the playing field. A multitude of athletes have little rituals and superstitions that help them withstand the high stress of competition and to fight off 'jinxes'. "The most fun of all is that media stars like them get tattooed in the Revolution square, number 13, in the centre of the Gràcia neighborhood", he jokes.

Because "of course", Puyol, Rijkaard or Henry have put themselves in his hands in the little studio in the plaza that commemorates the proclamation of the First Spanish Republic. "I tatttooed Cuéllar and Figo at my home. Luis Enrique, the first time, in Ibiza. And Bojan, Puyol for the third time, Rijkaard, Márquez and Henry, right here". The last one was Cesc Fábregas, "recommended by 'Puyi', who had also told Bojan", he remembers.

And what is the story about Henry? "In the game following his tattoo, he scored in minute 13 of the game, the 2-0 in Almería-Barcelona that ended with a 5-0 victory. Luis assures that he's not a fan of Barcelona or Espanyol "because I don't like football at all. Maybe that's why I get along with them so well. I guess that's what makes them so calm when they come here. Even though, if the subject of football comes up, we can talk about it."

The emblems can be produced on any part of the body. Thierry asked to wear one on his wrist "I guess for aesthetics, it was important for him to have it on the wrist", as it has since been demonstrated: he celebrates each one of his goals with a kiss on the design that Luis engraved on him.

But what are his customers looking for in these tattoos? "It helps them reinforce their physical strength, to remember who they are; that if they've been able to reach this point, they can get even further, all they have to do is make an effort. These protections reaffirm them, they help them return to believing in themselves. If you are the best, then why not be the best again?". There must be something to that, because through his studio have walked lawyers, doctors, mechanics, office workers, soccer players from Barcelona and aristocrats like Eugenia Martínez de Irujo, daughter of the duchess of Alba.

The wave is strength; the sun, energy; the dolphin, balance...
Luis jealously guards the folder of letters written to him by clients. "The first thing I do is give them an 'assignment', that in a peaceful moment they write down whatever comes from the heart. Then I read it, we talk about why they wrote what they wrote, and from there I start to draw.

A wave represents force and vitality; a dolphin, harmony and balance. The sun is energy; the lizard symbolizes the Earth. "In my tattoos I try to give expression to each person's history through symbols of Polynesian culture, even though its interpreted through our western culture", he explains. "They write very specific things about their personal lives, that in the football player's cases also includes football because it is part of their lives".

Translated by: Cintia


Read more:
The Arabic tattoo of Busquets
Puyol: "Tattoos are one of my passions"
The alphabet of Bojan (part 2)