David Beckham's Tattoos

David Beckham has been in soccer’s spotlight for more than 15 years. It did not take him long to establish a “bad boy” reputation and to win the hearts of every teenie bopper and lady in the UK – men want to be him and women want to be near him. This is the reputation that Beckham counts on for publicity, and having some well placed and tasteful tattoos has not hurt one bit.

David Beckham shows off one of his tats during a game.

Victoria and the kids have inspired several of David's tats.

It is no secret that Beckham has more than one or two tattoo pieces. A current but possibly growing inventory of his ink includes:

• An angel with a lowered head between his shoulder blades
• Wife Victoria’s name in Hindu on the inside of his left upper arm
• A winged cross on the back of his neck
• Son Brooklyn’s name on the small of his back
• Son Romeo’s name on his upper back above the angel
• The Roman numerals VII to commemorate the number 7, his United jersey number on the inside of his right arm

This list is only six tattoos long, but it is said that Becks has at least three others that are lesser known.

David Beckham's tattoos are not the only ones in the Beckham household. Longtime wife and number one fan, Victoria, known in her former pop star life as “Posh Spice” also has a little ink collection of her own.

• David Beckham’s initials on the inside of her left wrist
• Five stars, one to symbolize each family member, on her lower back
• A Hebrew tattoo vertically down her neck that reads "I am my beloved and my beloved is mine."

While there have always been critics of David Beckham's tattoos, there are also plenty who choose to flatter him through imitation. Many of David Beckham’s “number one fans” have taken it upon themselves to decorate their bodies with tattoos that closely mimic those of their superstar. The most widely replicated Beckham ink is the guardian angel he has inked between his shoulder blades.

Those who oppose the idea of a proper, well-bred, English footballer with tattoos of course have made their thoughts known. But, for someone in the spotlight as this talented athlete is, the nay-sayers are generally drowned out by the droves of fans.

While good old “Becks” (as his fans call him) gets the brunt of the criticism for having tattoos, he is certainly not the only footballer with ink. Other famous soccer players who don their share of artwork are:

• Italian soccer player Christian Vieri has multiple Kanji tattoos and other symbols on his arms.
• Marco Materazzi, also from Italy, has many, many tattoos covering both arms and forearms.
• Francesco Totti has a Roman soldier tattooed on his upper right arm.
• Swedish soccer player Freddie Ljunberg has two panthers and other animal tattoos on his back.
• Argentina’s Diego Armando Maradona has leg tattoos of both Che Guevara and Fidel Castro.
• United States player and two-time World Cup winner Landon Donovan of Ontario, California has wrist tattoos of hummingbirds.

It is no secret that David Beckham will soon be joining an American soccer team, the Los Angeles Galaxy. After recently signing a contract for more than 250 million dollars, the Beckhams are moving their family to the United States in hopes of having an impact on the soccer world here. David notes that it is his hope to make the sport a more popular pastime and athletic pursuit for Americans.

It has been noted that several of Beckham’s future Galaxy teammates know that he has a reputation to be a show stealer and a bit of a playboy on the field and off. Certainly, his tattoos and the media’s coverage of his body art and lifestyle have not helped to garner the support of American athletes – after all, American men playing soccer know that they are not in the same spotlight with basket ball players and the like.

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