It’s been fascinating to see Neymar grow as a player. Once a teenager in Brazil that was capable of pulling off ridiculous goals against subpar competition, he is now a young man in Spain playing for Barcelona, pulling off even more ridiculous goals against world-class defenders. But for all of the success he has on the pitch, he is still humble, and that is what Neymar’s new tattoo reinforces.
The ultra realistic tattoo was created by artist Miguel Bohigues, and if you like tattoos, I highly recommend checking out his Instagram. His work is some of the most photo-realistic I’ve ever seen.
The caption that goes along with the above Instagram post, written by Bohigues himself, says the following (Note: this is a Google Translation from Portuguese to English, so just keep that in mind).
Seeing the meaning of this tattoo may be a successful title for my work, in which we see Neymar remembering his origins, place of origin and all the years behind us on the road, leading us to a place where we can all endeavor to achieve our dreams, to become a number 1...Thanks again for your skin to continue with my plan. Thanks for inspiring many and making us dream that in each of us there is Neymar. Miguel Bohigues.
In the tattoo, we can see a young child standing on a pitch in what looks like a favela, dreaming about a house, a pitch, and a Champions League trophy. I feel comfortable in assuming that the child is a representation of Neymar himself, and a humble representation at that.
Neymar has managed to maintain a down-to-earth reputation. He’s constantly hanging out with his family. He’s got an entourage of friends that doesn’t seem to change very much. He’s very religious, sporting a “100% Jesus” headband after winning the Champions League last year. All of these things speak to Neymar being a young man that understands the importance of being humble, and this tattoo is surely another anchor meant to tie him to that value.
As he continues to grow as a player, human, and celebrity, he’s going to need all the anchors he can tie himself to, because success has a habit of carrying people away, and not always to the best places.
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