Our Favorite Soccerista Tattoos

Today, July 17th, is National Tattoo Day! Tattoos are used for various purposes, to decorate the body, to symbolize a belief, to show memberships in groups, etc. There are many socceristas out there with gorgeous tattoos that embellish their skin and have a special meaning to them. Here are five of our favorite socceristas and their tattoos.

Sydney Leroux

Leroux has several tattoos adorning her body, she says that she’s always had a passion for writing, and a way for her to express her love for letters, she displays them through tattoos on her body. She says that her tattoos are for self-motivation and reminders of her experiences in life: “I have ‘live unapologetically’ and ‘live beautifully.’ It kind of reminds me every single time I look down at my arm to just kind of be true to myself and live with no regrets.”

She also has the word ‘love’ written over her right hand, which she calls her Olympic tattoo, for her, it symbolizes the moment in which she stood on the podium with her right hand over her heart. To Leroux, every tattoo has a personal meaning.

Ashlyn Harris 

Harris had a tough time growing up, as she saw her family struggle through alcohol and drug abuse. She internalized a lot of the pain and anger that she felt towards life which caused her to become quite an impulsive and aggressive person during her teenage years. Soccer helped Harris let go of that negative energy though she still struggled to keep herself at bay sometimes, even during college.

One day, Harris ran into a former acquaintance, Jamie Tworkowski, who introduced her to his nonprofit organization “To write love on her arms” which helps those struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury and thoughts of suicide. Since then, Harris started to form a network of support and love which helped her begin to cope with the hardships she had faced in her life. She began to tattoo her arms as a coping mechanism as well. “I love tattoos because it’s a good form of pain for me,” she explaines. “To some people, it probably seems crazy, but I love to sit and feel alive and feel the scars. It’s almost like checking off all the painful things that I’ve been through. All these things on my body tell a story and it’s super deep and it’s super important and it reminds me I’m still here.”

Megan Rapinoe 

Rapinoe has two very delicate tattoos, one is on the inside of her left bicep, and it reads “Nature ran her course,” when she lifts her arm, it spreads like a wing. Her other tattoo is on her wrist and it reads, in Arabic, “Trust yourself.” Tattoos are a way for Rapinoe to keep herself motivated and positive in life, a way to stay connected to herself as a person through artwork, using her body as a canvas.

Ali Krieger

Krieger has a gorgeous and intricate tattoo running along the side of her body. The tattoo is a quote from the famous book The Little Prince, written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, originally in french. Krieger’s tattoo is in German and reads, “Man sieht nur mit dem Herzen gut, das Wesentliche ist für die Augen unsichtbar,” which means, “One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.” Clearly an inspirational tattoo for Krieger, a message that she holds close to her heart and helps her remain inspired and stimulated.

Alex Morgan 

Morgan has a tattoo that shows just how much passion and love she has for soccer. Just on side of her hip, Morgan has the word “Thirteen” written in cursive above a vine with a flower at the end. This tattoo stands for the number of her jersey, and of course, the deeper meaning behind is that she will always carry her passion for soccer with her and on her body.

There are many other socceristas with beautiful and meaningful tattoos, and these were just a few of our favorites. As you can see, all of these inspiring women have tattoos that symbolize something that they really care about. The tattoos aren’t only beautifully designed, but they serve as motivational works of art that our socceristas will carry with them throughout their entire lives. They show their passions, their struggles, their beliefs. We get to know them a little better through their ink and what an amazing way to

Photo of Ashlyn Harris and Cassius Dwyer via Instagram @ashlynharris24

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