But what do they all mean – and why does he have so many?
9Zlatan Ibrahimovic is covered in tattoos, but what are the meanings?Credit: AFP
The Sweden superstar confessed in his book ‘I am Zlatan’ that getting inked “became like a drug for me”.
When buying a Ferrari Enzo was not enough, Ibrahimovic said getting a tattoo provided him with a “boost” – even though he once could not stand the thought of one.
He said: “I was against them in the beginning. Thought they were in bad taste. But I got tempted anyway.”
Now he has 14 on his upper body. Here are the stories behind each of his eye-catching designs.
9SunSport runs down the meanings of ALL of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s body artCredit: Getty
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.
9These close-ups show Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s tattoos down his right sideCredit: AFP
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.
9The ace of hearts features an ‘H’ in the centre, said to represent his partnerCredit: Getty
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.”
9Swede superstar has five massive tattoos covering the main area of his backCredit: AFP/Getty
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.
9The striker’s koi and feather tattoos both extravagantly feature on his backCredit: AFP/Getty
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.
But Ibrahimovic’s inkings have got him in trouble in the past.
9The man set to join Man United is a big fan of classical symbolism in his inkingsCredit: AFP/Getty
He was told not to whip off his top before Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League last-16 clash with Chelsea last year.
Boss Laurent Blanc was peeved the former Milan and Barcelona got booked after revealing an extra set of tattoos during a match against Caen.
Then, Ibrahimovic had temporary inkings of 15 people suffering from hunger put on him in a bid to draw attention to world famine.
9Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is renowned for covering his body in inkCredit: AFP
After scoring against the French rivals, he peeled off his shirt to reveal their names to raise awareness for the United Nations’ World Food Program.
Ibrahimovic said at the time: “When I took my shirt off against Caen, everybody asked what these new tattoos were.
“I had 15 removable tattoos on my body, they are the names of real people who are suffering from hunger in the world.
9Zlatan Ibrahimovic, along with all his tattoos, could soon be playing in EnglandCredit: Getty
“Those tattoos have gone now, these people are still here. I hope that you can see them through me.”
But boss Blanc rapped: “If it was to show his tattoos then it worked because it made the front page of every website in the world, so in that sense it was very successful for him and for the foundation. But it cost us a yellow card.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed why he stripped off his shirt after scoring just two minutes into Paris Saint-Germain’s draw with Caen on Saturday afternoon.
The Sweden striker was showing his support for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) by tattooing the names of 50 hungry people helped by the charity onto his body.
The WFP has helped 805 million hungry people all around the world and the 50 chosen by Ibrahimovic symbolically represented some of the worst humanitarian crises ongoing today.
VIDEO Scroll down for Zlatan Ibrahimovic tattooed names of 50 starving
PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic tattooed the names of 50 starving people from around the world on his torso in support of the United Nations World Food Programme and showed them off after scoring against Caen
The 50 names were applied as temporary tattoos around Ibrahimovic’s existing tattoos
The tattoos were designed to raise awareness of the United Nations relief work in impoverished countries
Ibrahimovic urged his fans to around the world to offer their support to millions of starving people
‘Wherever I go people recognize me, call my name, cheer for me,’ said the PSG striker, who found the net after just 72 seconds in the Ligue 1 encounter at the Parc des Princes.
‘But there are names no one cares to remember. That no one cheers for: the 805m people suffering from hunger in the world today.
‘I have the supporters all over the world. From now on I want this support to go to the people who suffer from hunger, they are the real champions.
‘So whenever you hear my name, you will think of their names.’
Ibrahimovic had the temporary tattoos – of names such as Carmen, Mariko, Antoine, Lida, Rahma and Yaae – applied to his torso ahead of the Caen match.
Ibrahimovic removed his shirt to reveal the 50 names after scoring after just 72 seconds of the match
When he scored in the second minute – extending a leg to direct Serge Aurier’s cross into the bottom corner – he removed his shirt in the middle of the field to show off the tapestry of tattoos.
Ibrahimovic received a yellow card for his troubles, as the rules dictate, but wasn’t overly concerned having got his message across to the world.
‘Each one of the 805m people suffering from hunger in the world has a name, a voice, a story to share,’ said WFP director for France Marina Catena.
‘Zlatan accepted the challenge and wished to carry their stories on his own skin so that the world does not forget them.’
His goal represented the perfect start to the afternoon for the Parisian side but it ended in a nightmare for Laurent Blanc and his team.
World Food Programme
Ibrahimovic wore most of the tattoos on his arm, chest and midriff
The striker was booked for removing his shirt in celebration, as the laws of the game dictate
Ibrahimovic turns to celebrate after seeing his shot hit the back of the net in only the second minute
Although Ezequiel Lavezzi doubled their lead shortly before half-time, they suffered four injuries and ended the match with just nine-men after two players went off after the final substitution had been made.
Yohan Cabaye, Marquinhos, Serge Aurier and Lucas Moura are definitely out of PSG’s Champions League last 16, first leg tie with Chelsea on Tuesday night, while Blaise Matuidi is rated 50-50.
And, to add insult to injury, Caen fought back in the final few minutes to claim a 2-2 draw and stop PSG going top of the table.
source: thesun.co.uk
