Turning into a tattoo artist alongside a soccer profession does have some precedent – former Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger, as an illustration – however nonetheless stands out as an uncommon pastime for an energetic participant to take up.
England midfielder Georgia Stanway has spent the previous few years placing her expertise to the check, nonetheless.
No stranger to ink herself, Stanway has taken issues to a different stage since shifting to Bayern Munich in 2022, to the purpose she has given a few of her German teammates tattoos.
Georgia Stanway: “We simply had a factor of, ‘OK, I’ll discover ways to do it and hopefully in the future we are able to tattoo one another’, simply as an indication of our friendship.”
Georgia Stanway made the leftfield transfer to Bayern Munich (Picture credit score: Daniela Porcelli/Getty Photographs)
Stanway informed FourFourTwo: “I’ve at all times had a love for tattoos – I’ve spent quite a lot of time in tattoo retailers and I’ve a great deal of them. My household do too, so it was at all times fairly regular for us.
“My dad’s good good friend was a tattoo artist and he used to come back round to the home. Sooner or later I walked right into a studio in Munich and ended up changing into associates with the proprietor and one of many tattoo artists.
Georgia Stanway in motion in opposition to Germany (Picture credit score: Julian Finney – The FA/The FA by way of Getty Photographs)
“We simply had a factor of, ‘OK, I’ll discover ways to do it and hopefully in the future we are able to tattoo one another’, simply as an indication of our friendship.
“However I ended up actually having fun with it and desirous to do extra. I benefit from the truth I may give somebody one thing that can stick with them without end, and that they place that belief in me.”
“I can’t tattoo in England – it’s troublesome with the licensing, however I’ve tattooed quite a lot of my German team-mates. It’s cool.
“It brings a little bit of strain as a result of I do know I’ll be seeing loads of their tattoo, so it’s additional strain to verify it’s excellent. However I take pleasure in it.
Georgia Stanway whereas taking part in for England (Picture credit score: Naomi Baker – The FA/The FA by way of Getty Photographs)
Stanway has marked large profession moments with tattoos with hidden meanings, together with one she acquired after England’s 2021 Euros triumph.
She mentioned: “One in all my favourites is the time the whistle went after we gained the Euros. My agent was someplace within the crowd – he texted me to say, ‘You’ve simply gained the Euros’. I acquired again into the altering rooms and that was the time he texted me.”
Stanway already plans to present herself one other nonetheless issues go in Switzerland this summer season – and he or she’s had loads of follow since struggling a knee harm halfway via the season simply gone.
“I’ll get one other one both manner,” she mentioned. “I’ve a behavior in the mean time of tattooing my very own leg. The boredom has been operating away with me whereas I’ve been injured.”