There used to be a time when people getting tattoos was a rarity, with those who were interested in them having the best intentions to keep the ink on their body down to one image or phrase. However, as time has gone on and trends have changed, at least half of the people in your demographic or friendship group will likely have some form of tattoo. It is no different in the sporting world with the majority of superstars having got one since they shot to fame either on or off the pitch, holding the desire to make them stand out from the rest. Such is the depth and range of tattoos nowadays that they will inevitably divide opinion, and that proved to be the case in a recent poll.
In a survey conducted by Compare.bet, it was determined that David Beckham had put together the best body work over the years. You should not be surprised that the England legend came out on top. After all, he has at least 50 tattoos on display, giving voters plenty of choice to tip the poll in his favour. Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is next on the list, with former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua taking third place on the podium for having a lion on one of his fingers. Nevertheless, there are sure to be names on the list which may shock you, most notably Daniel Agger. The ex-Liverpool defender has long been retired from football, but followers of the sport can still recall his tattoos. The Dane is even a tattoo artist himself! The 20 most popular were covered, which also included former Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland and Italian player Alessandro Diamanti!
Now then, we can predict which tattoo you think is the worst by a famous sporting name, and you would be right to assume that the face tattoo of Mike Tyson is high on the list. However, the hard-punching American has had to settle for the runners-up spot with voters instead opting for Sergio Ramos. The ink on the Real Madrid defender's back is not necessarily "out there", but the same cannot be said of the ones on his fingers. While they each have meaning behind them - specifically the minutes of important goals he has scored during his career - they aren't exactly a positive fashion statement.
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Regardless of its intentions, there will be little bewilderment that Raheem Sterling's gun tattoo on his leg features highly on the list at fifth position, nor will Newcastle United fans be surprised to see Nile Ranger come in at number eight. The controversial striker has a smiley face tattooed inside his bottom lip, although it probably goes against the usual belief that most people will be envious of a tattoo!
The survey also asked people whether getting a tattoo had become the norm in today's society, and just 22.05% felt that it hadn't. That's in sharp contrast to the 74.75% who say that they don't currently have one, although the answer to the previous question suggests that the percentage will only get lower. Over a quarter of voters have claimed that they have had tattoos based on designs on their idols, even though almost half of them feel that sports stars only get tattoos to show off! As far as sports in general are concerned, as many as 53.45% of people felt that footballers had the worst tattoos, with darts coming a distant second.
