Lionel Messi will go down as one of the greatest footballers to ever lace up his boots and take to the field. The Argentina wonder has achieved all there is in a career spanning four clubs across three countries, winning just about every major trophy in the world, including his crowning glory, the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He’s also won the Ballon d’Or/FIFA Ballon d’Or a record seven times and is regarded by many football fans and pundits as arguably the best footballer of the modern generation. While we could go on and on about his achievements, this article isn’t focusing on his football career but is a guide to the most important Messi tattoos and what they mean to the freak athlete. 

As anyone who has followed Leo Messi’s career knows, tattoos are a major part of his lifestyle, with large parts of his body covered in ink. The pint-sized superstar who won four UEFA Champions League titles, seven Copa del Ray titles, and ten La Ligue titles with Barcelona, has been getting ink since he was in his early 20s and has some memorable tattoos as you will discover below. 

A Guide To 16 Lionel Messi Tattoos and What They Mean

1. Mother’s Portrait Tattoo

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If there was any doubt Lionel Messi is a mommies boy, this tattoo put that argument to rest. On the left side of his back is a portrait of his mother, Celia. A family man at heart, Messi is thankful his mother made the necessary sacrifices to help him achieve his dream of becoming a professional soccer player. He also believes she is his good luck charm, which is why he has her portrait tattooed on his body. This ink is also rumored to be one of Messi’s first tattoos, showing just how much love he has for his mother.

2. Kissing Lips Tattoo

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As you will discover, Messi is very much in love with his wife Antonella Roccuzzo. The pair have known each other since they were five and eventually got together in 2008. Since then the pair have married and had three sons, Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro.

To show how much he loves his wife, Messi has many tattoos that are inspired or dedicated to Antonella. One of these tattoos that is not clearly visible is a tattoo of Antonella’s lips kissing Messi on his waistline. It’s not known when he got this ink, but it certainly shows how much Messi loves his childhood sweetheart. 

3. Football Tattoo

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Messi has been playing football since he was a youngster, honing his skills on the backstreets of Rosario in Argentina where he grew up. The sport has given Messi everything, and to show how passionate he is about the round ball, he got a tattoo of a football on his left leg. It makes up part of his leg sleeve which includes several other tattoos detailed in this article. 

4. King Crown Tattoo

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On Messi’s right arm is a small tattoo of a crown. His wife, Antonella, also has a tattoo of a crown on her right arm. The matching tattoos are meant to symbolize their love for each other, with both tattoos designed differently to reflect his status as her king and her position as his queen. Love can be grand. 

5. Lotus Flower Tattoo

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On his right arm, Messi has a full-sleeve tattoo made up of different images. One that jumps out immediately is his lotus flower tattoo. The lotus flower is generally seen as “a symbol of purity, spiritual enlightenment, and rebirth.”

It’s said Messi got the tattoo as a way to show how his talents grew when he moved from Argentina to Spain, enabling him to become rebirthed as a footballing superstar who has played for the top clubs Barcelona and PSG. 

6. Jesus Portrait Tattoo

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Religion plays a large part in Messi’s life, with the former Barcelona player a Catholic Christian. Wishing to show how strong his faith is, Messi got a portrait of Jesus tattooed on his right shoulder. The ink shows Jesus with a crown of thorns and is representative of the footballer’s great love for God. 

7. Handprints Tattoo

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Getting tattoos in honor of his family members is something Messi has done since his first tattoo. So it’s no surprise the South American legend has three different tattoos in tribute to his sons. When his eldest, Thiago, was born on November 2, 2012, Messi got a tattoo of his son’s handprints on his left calf. 

The birth of his first son was a momentous occasion for Messi, who jumped on Facebook to tell the world about the joy he was experiencing: “Today I am the happiest man in the world, my son was born, and thanks to God for this gift! Thanks to my family for the support! A hug to everyone.”

8. Thiago Tattoo

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Not content with just getting his firstborn’s handprints tattooed on his body, Messi followed this tattoo up by getting his son’s actual name, Thiago, inked beneath the handprints. As Messi has continued to expand on his leg sleeve tattoo, he has added shading and updated the tattoo, with “Thiago” now inside of a heart representing Messi’s love for his son. 

9. Mateo Tattoo

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When Messi’s second son Mateo was born on September 11, 2015, Messi got his name tattooed on his right arm. This is quite a basic tattoo, but just like the tattoo dedicated to his first son Thiago, it holds a special meaning for Messi, who is all about family. 

10. Rose Window Tattoo

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In what is one of the more painful areas to get tattooed, Messi has a stained-glass rose window tattoo on his right elbow. This is part of his sleeve tattoo that runs down the entire arm. The design of the tattoo is said to be inspired by the Sagrada Familia church, also known as the Unfinished church, which sits in the heart of Barcelona.

11. Antonella Eye Tattoo

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Surprise, surprise, another tattoo on Messi’s body that is a tribute to his loving wife Antonella. Found on his right arm, the tattoo is of one of Antonella’s eyes. There’s not a lot more to it than that, although we suspect it’s a way of Messi showing that Anontella is always with him and able to keep a watchful eye over him when he’s on the pitch. 

12. Clock and Cogs Tattoo

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Another of Messi’s eye-catching tattoos is a giant clock and cogs illustrated on his lower right arm. The tattoo is believed to be a reminder of how short life is and to make sure Messi is always making the most of his short time on Earth. 

13. Dagger and Wings Tattoo

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One of Messi’s earliest tattoos was of a dagger with wings on his left leg. The ink was also accompanied by a string of roses. Although a well-crafted tattoo, Messi suffered lots of abuse on social media for the design of the tattoo. This led the Copa America winner to cover up the tattoo with several other artworks along with a lot of black ink that covers much of his leg. 

14. Rosary Bead Tattoo

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The rosary bead on Messi’s right arm was inked by tattoo artist Roberto Lopez, whose aim was to tell Messi’s life journey through the tattoo. The rosary tattoo is inked in the outline of Messi’s hometown and forms a larger tattoo with the other ink on his right arm. It’s also believed Messi has a map of South America and Europe tattooed near the rosary bead, but nobody has been able to identify these pieces of ink. 

Talking about how the tattoos on his right sleeve connect, Lopez explained; “A clock and a part of the mechanism of Cronos, God of time. The flower of lotus, according to Japanese culture, means that no matter where you come from when you least expect it one day you will bloom. The cocoon of that flower represents the son.”

15. 10 Tattoo

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The number ten is famous for being the number Messi wore on the back of his shirt while playing for Barcelona. He also wears the number ten when playing for his birth nation Argentina. So to commemorate the number he got it inked on his left leg, helping cover up an old tattoo of a dagger with wings. 

Sadly he no longer wears the number at Paris Saint Germain due to teammate Neymary Jr., who has been wearing the number ten long before Messi arrived. He now wears the number 30, although that could all change if his move to Saudi Arabia goes ahead, with Messi likely to reclaim his favorite number ten jersey. 

16. Birthdates Tattoo

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As stated earlier, Messi got a tattoo of his son Thiago’s hands as part of his sleeve on his left leg. After the birth of his third son, Ciro, he updated this tattoo by adding the birthdates of his three sons and his wife. The dates are inscribed inside one of the hand prints. The dates are as follows:

• Thiago – November 2, 2012
• Mateo – September 11, 2015
• Ciro – March 10, 2018
• Antonella – February 26, 1988

The first tattoo with his family’s birthdates is quite small, so Messi decided to get a larger version on his right leg. This tattoo has the dates inside a scroll that warps around the bottom of his right leg and is another tribute to Messi’s family.