DAVID BECKHAM TATTOOS

(Born 2 May 1975) is an English footballer who currently plays in midfield for American Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy and the England national team. Twice runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004 the world's highest-paid footballer, Beckham is the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches. He was Google's most searched of all sports topics in both 2003 and 2004. With such global recognition he has become an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon. Beckham was captain of England from 15 November 2000 until the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, during which he played 58 times. Since then he has continued to represent his country and earned his much-publicized hundredth cap for England against France on 26 March 2008.

"The idea to get tattooed came to me a little while after Brooklyn was born. I was talking to Mel B and her then-husband, Jimmy Gulzar, and the subject of tattoos came up. I ended up going to this Dutch guy who'd done all of Jimmy's. I'd finally realized what I wanted a tattoo to represent. Mine are all about the people in my life, my wife and sons, who I want with me always. When you see me, you see the tattoos. You see an expression of how I feel about Victoria and the boys. They're part of me."

Beckham's newest tattoo of Jesus, which is on his torso, is taken from the painting The Man Of Sorrows by Matthew R Brooks, which depicts Jesus on his way to the cross.

It is Becks' fourth tattoo that depicts Christian iconography.

He already has a crucifix on the back of his neck, a guardian angel between his shoulder blades and an angel on his right shoulder.

The guardian angel is there to overlook the names of his three children, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz.

Beckham also sports the Roman numeral VII on his right arm as a nod to the number seven shirt he wore at Manchester United.

The majority of Beckham's skin art has been done by Manchester tattooist Louis Malloy.

"The tattoo is not something Victoria wanted him to go ahead with as she felt it would not be a good start to their time in LA, but David was adamant that he would show his true feelings about the move and stop covering it up, even if it is rather cryptic," the source added.

The three words are inscribed next to another symbolic piece Beckham apparently wanted to reflect who he feels he has been for the past ten years - a Knight Templar, symbolized by a cross.

The Templar Knights, recognizable by their white mantle with distinct red cross, are for David the symbols of him and the England team.

He asked the tattoo artist to etch the Knight Templar on his arm as he "feels the knights were the best equipped, trained, and disciplined fighting units of the Crusades, just as he has always tried to be as a footballer representing his team of knights".

The main tattoo on the forearm is a giant angel whose wings meet with the other tattoos. The angel also holds a flame in her hand. Also the words "Let them hate me as long as they fear me" which is a quote by the Roman emperor Tiberius.