<b>Japanese</b> World Cup fans notice Greek player's strange <b>tattoo</b> | Japanese Tattoos |
| <b>Japanese</b> World Cup fans notice Greek player's strange <b>tattoo</b> Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:00 AM PDT
It must be tough playing in the World Cup. Not only are you representing your entire country, but every mistake you make is seen by millions of people all over the world. Poor Igor Akinfeev, the Russian goalkeeper who let a straightforward shot from Korea's Lee Keun-ho roll up and over his head and into the goal. It was enough to make anyone want to curl up into a ball and die, and Igor's mortified face was painful to watch, inspiring thousands of Tweets proclaiming, "Yikes!" Japanese netizens have taken notice of another footballer faux paus, this time in the form of an unfortunate tattoo. We've seen it before – misinformed fans of body modification adding "Chicken Noodle Soup" or "casket maker" in exotic scrawl, and Team Greece representative, Theofanis "Fanis" Gekas, has added to the list of tattoos that have piqued the interest of Japanese netizens. Many Japanese netizens have been tweeting about the tattoo, commenting on the strange use of 寒冷殺人拳, most closely translated as "Cold Killer Fist." The first two kanji (寒冷) definitely mean "cold," but in the temperature sense, like "a cold climate" or "frigid air," not in a heartless, "murder your mother" way. But taking a closer look, the last character may be a little different than Japanese netizens are claiming, though the change fails to change the unusual nature of the words:
It appears the last kanji is actually 魔 and not 拳. Here, 魔 can mean "demon" or "devil" but also gives the connotation of someone who habitually performs a negative act, in this case, killing. Put it together with the previous two kanji and you get something like, but not quite, "serial killer." Japanese sources (including Wikipedia, the fountain of internet knowledge) report that Gekas meant to scribe "cold killer" on his right arm, but he most likely wanted it to read "cold-blooded killer," a nickname given to him by Greek soccer fans for his impressive scoring ability. Either way, Gekas' tattoo isn't quite right in Japanese or Chinese (our Chinese-speaking correspondent says it has a "Google translate feel to it"), and is a phrase that might conjure up an image of an ice-encrusted fist dealing a death blow. If Gekas truly wanted to write "cold-blooded killer" the closest approximation in Japanese would be 冷酷な殺人 (reikoku na satsujin, literally "ruthless murderer") or 血も涙もない人殺し (chi mo namida mo nai hitogoroshi, literally "a murderer without blood or tears"). Personally, we like the last one for the images it brings to mind ("I'll be back."), but we suppose "frigid killer" is cool in its own way too. And let's face it, it could be worse. He could have 龙蛇吉勇羊 (dragon snake fortune brave sheep) tattooed on his arm like German footballer Torsten Frings. Or even the characters 酸甜鸭子7.99欧元 (sweet and sour duck 7.99 euro) that is said to be tattooed on Frings' back.
Source: Attrip  |
| Photos: 11 players in FIFA World Cup 2014 with the coolest <b>tattoos</b> <b>...</b> Posted: 20 Jun 2014 11:41 PM PDT Everyone seems to have a tattoo these days. Once sported only by biker gangs, outlaws, and sailors, tattoos are now flaunted by everyone from movie stars to sportspersons, and most of your friends too! This year during the FIFA World Cup, a lot of football players have got inked to mark the event on their bodies forever. Portugal's mid-fielder Raul Meireles tweeted about a special tattoo he got just for the World Cup! On the field you'll notice some of the most tattooed players like Sergio Ramos and Daniel Agger. Greece's Theofanis Gekas thought he got 'cold-blooded killer' inked on his right arm but there's a slight error that has really changed the meaning of his tattoo. Japanese football fans were a little baffled when they noticed that his tattoo actually doesn't mean 'cold' in the heartless way, but as the climate 'cold'! What ideally should have meant 'cold-blooded killer' now means 'cold weather murder demon' according to some Japanese football fans on Twitter. Nevertheless, here are some of the better tattoos that will make you go 'wow'!
Australia's Tim Cahill is a family man and that can be seen in his tattoo. The sleeve on his left arm has his Samoan roots from his maternal family with a symbolic lifeline of his grandmother after she died, linking it with that of his own and his parents. He also has an identical symbol to what his grandfather had, as well as symbols to represent his wife and children. You can find the names of all his family members, including his brother-in-law and the two clubs he has played for: Millwall FC and Everton FC.
American football player Clint Dempsey has a tattoo on his elbow outlining the state of Texas, homage to where he grew up. He has also other sports tattoos along that same arm, including one portrait of warrior.
The captain of the Danish national team, Daniel Agger is a trained tattoo artist. There's very little space left to be explored on his body. He has the names of his brothers Marco and Stephanie on his chest, and between the shoulder blades you can read a Latin phrase: "Mors certo – hora incerto" (Death is certain, only the time is uncertain.) On the ankle he has the sayings "pain passes" (right ankle), "Pride remains" (left ankle) get stung – an allusion to his bad luck with injuries in 2007.
32-year-old Croatian Darijo Srna has the name of his older brother, Igor, tattooed across his left chest. The Croatia and Shakhtar Donetsk captain dedicates all his goals to his brother, who has Down's syndrome. He also has a tattoo of a deer – "srna" in Croat – on his calf to honour his parents.
Argentina's Angel di Maria has a Spanish phrase inked on his left underarm which says "to be born in El Perdriel was and will be the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life". It is said he got the same thing tattooed with six other friends before leaving to play football professionally.
Olivier Giroud from France is a devout Christian, who has a Latin phrase taken from the famous Psalms 23 on his right arm. He also has designs on his left bicep symbolises values that are important to him: faith, love, family, friends and health.
American Jermaine Jones has got inked the faces of his twins, names of his other children and best friends and his wedding anniversary. He also has the phrase "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" inked down both sides of his torso.
Sergio Ramos' body is full of tattoo art. On his left bicep: the dates 9/11 and 3/11 – referring to the terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001 and Madrid in 2004 – with the phrase "lies in the memory of those alive". He also has one in remembrance of former Sevilla teammate Antonio Puerta, who died aged 22 from a series of heart attacks during a La Liga game in 2007. The tribal tattoo on his right wrist is identical to the one his brother has, also inked at the same place. There are also matching tattoos of the Champions League and World Cup trophies on his calves, to mark his rare feat of winning the biggest crowns in club and international football.
Tim Howard is one of the most decorated players in the US team. The tattoos on his body range from portraits of his kids to a Superman logo, and an outline of the state of New Jersey.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has a majestic red dragon tattoo on his back that apparently reflects his personality.
Greece's Theofanis Gekas thought he got 'cold killer' inked on his right arm but there's a slight error that crept in. Japanese football fans were a little baffled when they noticed that his tattoo actually doesn't mean 'cold' in the heartless way, but as the climate 'cold'! What ideally should have meant 'cold-blooded killer' now means 'cold weather murder demon' according to some Japanese football fans on Twitter. |
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