Swedish former Paris Saint-German superstar is covered in 14 unique designs… including a secret inking you may not spot
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC and all his tattoos was the first mega signing of Jose Mourinho’s Man United reign.
But what do they all mean – and why does he have so many?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is covered in tattoos, but what are the meanings?
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.
SunSport runs down the meanings of ALL of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s body art
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.
These close-ups show Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s tattoos down his right side
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.
The ace of hearts features an ‘H’ in the centre, said to represent his partner
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.”
Swede superstar has five massive tattoos covering the main area of his back
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.
The striker’s koi and feather tattoos both extravagantly feature on his back
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.
The man set to join Man United is a big fan of classical symbolism in his inkings
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.
Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is renowned for covering his body in ink
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.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, along with all his tattoos, could soon be playing in England
“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.”
