Euro 2020 Player Tattoos – Memphis Depay
With the Euro 2020 (or is it 2021, difficult one to get your head around) in full swing, much of the conversation may have revolved around number of people in the audience, vaccinations, quarantines, and Germany and Portugal being in risk of elimination after the group round. However, we thought we would take a look at the actual stars of the show – the players and, of course, their tattoos.
The King of the Jungle
One of the most heavily tattooed players who have also impressed along with his team thus far in the Euro is Memphis Depay of the Netherlands. The bright Orange jersey covers up a full backpiece with the face of a lion. Now, many people get lion tattoos as a symbol of many different things (strength, fierceness, loyalty, a portrait of Aslan from the Narnia books…). In the case of Depay, the lion has plentiful meanings.
The symbol of a lion has featured on the Dutch national football team’s jerseys for over 100 years. The team’s fans often dress up as orange lions. However, the Olympique Lyonnais forward who has thus far scored two goals in the Euro 2020 has more personal reasons for choosing the royal symbol for his own. He had it done while spending two years with Manchester United between 2015 and 2017.
“I’ve always had a feeling that I’ve been brought up in the jungle. I was always outside, I’ve been to rough areas and I’ve been through rough times. The lion on my back represents me – I have the heart of a lion. I got it done in Manchester. It took a long time because it’s so big, maybe like 24 hours in total. The lion is for me, ‘the king of the jungle,’ and I always stayed on my feet even though it was rough.”
Faith, cartoons, and ancient Egypt
Of course, the huge lion is not the only ink adorning the 27-year-old striker’s body. He has close to another 50. While going through all of them would mean posts for weeks, here is a small selection.
Depay has a shamrock leaf tattooed right by his jugular knot, right above lettering that says ‘Dream Chaser’, and flanked by two angelic looking wings. While the shamrock traditionally symbolises fortune and good luck, there are more religiously themed symbols strewn across his skin. He has a cross tattooed on the back of his neck, the word ‘faith’ on the back of his left knee, and two angelic cherubs on either side of his chest. He also has peacock feathers on his shoulders.
Moreover, Ghanaian-heritage Depay has depictions of Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Jigglypuff from Pokemon, the Genie from Disney’s Aladdin, Japanese manga characters Shinchan and Shiro, and several other animated figures strewn across his arms. There is also an eye of Horus, the Egyptian goddess Isis, and Queen Nefertiti in a homage to ancient Egypt.
Symbols for protection are all well and good. But what was that other superstition, the one about getting a tattoo of the name of your significant other? On the left side of his upper ribs, Depay used to have written ‘Lori Harvey’, the name of his now ex-fiancée. The couple broke off their engagement in 2018 after two years together. Seems not even superstar footballers are immune to the curse of the name-tattoo, but thankfully, there are Laser Tattoo Removal treatments. Meanwhile, he still has the portrait of a woman tattooed on his thigh, that is reportedly the face of a former girlfriend. If you want to get something that signifies the affection you have for your partner, check out our suggestions for alternative love tats here.
