Many football stars opt out of getting tattoos due to religious beliefs, personal choice, or health reasons. Superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah avoid tattoos to donate blood regularly or due to their Muslim faith. The likes of Robert Lewandowski and Matthijs de Ligt also don't have tattoos, albeit for different reasons to others.
In the modern day, footballers are on wages that are hard to imagine. The best stars in the world all earn over £200k a week, allowing them to buy nearly anything they want. It's a luxury that can never be taken for granted compared to the average person — and it's a common sight to see them splashing the cash on items such as stunning cars and houses.
Some opt to get tattoos as well to 'decorate' their body. It might be for a symbolic meaning or purely just to think it looks better, but the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar, two of the greatest players of all time , both have tattoos across their bodies. However, on the other side of the coin, some footballers remain firm in their beliefs, insisting that they will not get any tattoos.
It has to be commended — and shows that not every footballer is the exact same. Whether it's due to their religion, giving blood or purely a personal choice, several world stars have decided not to get them. We have decided to outline nine of the most famous players around the world who have done this, including the greatest Portuguese player of all time.
Footballers Who Don't Have Tattoos Player Club Nationality Cristiano Ronaldo Al-Nassr Portugal Mohamed Salah Liverpool Egypt Sadio Mane Al-Nassr Senegal Kylian Mbappe Real Madrid France Robert Lewandowski Barcelona Poland N'Golo Kante Al-Ittihad France Rodri Manchester City Spain Achraf Hakimi Paris Saint-Germain Morocco Matthijs de Ligt Bayern Munich Netherlands 1 Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best attackers of all time . With a career spanning Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United to Real Madrid and Juventus, the superstar has continually defied logic. As the record-holder for the most goals in football , he has forever been on the front page of the news.
Currently plying his trade with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, it's unclear how much longer he will continue to play, but he has always insisted on no tattoos throughout his remarkable journey. This is because the superstar opts to regularly donate blood . “I don’t have tattoos so that I can donate blood more often", he said in an interview in 2012.
Most of Ronaldo's career came in Spain and England; in these two countries, the wait time between getting a tattoo and being able to give blood is four months to make sure there are no infections. Due to this, he has always opted against them. He first started giving blood in 2011 when Portugal teammate Carlos Martins' son was sick and in need of blood and bone marrow donations.
Ronaldo told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope : "It was the time when Carlos [Martins] was with us on the national team. He told us about the problem with his son and we, the players, showed great unity to help him and his son because we knew it was a very complicated situation." 2 Mohamed Salah Moving on, Mohamed Salah also opts to have no tattoos, despite being one of the highest-paid players in the Premier League.
The Egyptian king has had a phenomenal career — and he is already considered one of the greatest players in the English top flight ever. His ability to shine in the final third has been remarkable, carrying a weight of expectation every time he walks onto the famous hallowed turf. However, he opts not to have tattoos, as showcased by his countless topless celebrations, due to his faith.
Salah is Muslim and they are forbidden by the religion. "I don't have tattoos, I don't change hairstyles, I don't know how to dance. I just want to play football," the winger has said previously.
Carrying their teams on their back, these players produced some of the greatest performances of all time in the Premier League. 3 Sadio Mane Sadio Mane , previously part of one of the greatest attacking trios of all time alongside Salah, has had a phenomenal career. After shining at Southampton, Anfield was the perfect backdrop for the Senegal international to shine.
Winning everything possible, Liverpool now consider him to be one of their greatest players of all time . Just like the Egyptian king, Mane also opts not to have any tattoos for the same reasons. He is also Muslim, which naturally helped those in Merseyside understand the religion more, whilst it states that tattoos are forbidden.
Mane is now playing for Al-Nassr, although it is unclear how much longer he will continue to be professional. 4 Kylian Mbappe Kylian Mbappe made one of the biggest transfers of the 2024 summer transfer window by leaving Paris Saint-Germain and joining his boyhood club, Real Madrid. At the age of 25, he's already one of the greatest French players of all time , plying his trade with elegance which almost always frightens defenders.
Whilst on the pitch, he continues to shine as a superstar who forces everyone to get off their seat, his story off the pitch is one full of a laid-back character. He's previously practicised Christianity and he refuses to get any tattoos. It's unclear if that will change throughout his career.
Kylian Mbappe equalled Cristiano Ronaldo's record at his Real Madrid unveiling in 2024. 5 Robert Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski is one of the greatest Polish players of all time . He shone throughout his career, winning everything possible with Bayern Munich before moving to Barcelona — where he currently plies his trade.
When you are that impressive in the final third, it's easy to become arrogant and show off to everyone else, yet the now-35-year-old has remained humble throughout his career. "That's how Robert is, insatiable, the way he trains, the way he helps the team, his humility, his work-rate. I can't praise him enough," former manager Xavi previously said.
It seems to be part of the reason as to why he does not have tattoos. 6 N'Golo Kante When you think of the greatest midfielders of all time , N'Golo Kante always springs to mind. After winning the Premier League with Leicester in 2016, he continued to shine with Chelsea, whilst even since moving to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad, he's continued to impress, including with France at Euro 2024.
Throughout his career, the 33-year-old has always been praised for his humbleness. From watching Match of the Day at a local mosque with the community to never having fancy cars, it always impressed fans. As part of that, the Frenchman has always opted never to get tattoos as well, which is due to his religion as well.
The 15 highest earners in the Saudi Pro League have been revealed, with three players earning more than £1 million a week. 7 Rodri Rodri's form in 2024 has seen him considered the best midfielder in the world . He's won nearly everything possible with Manchester City and Spain, nullifying any threat in the middle of the park with his aggressiveness and strength.
He still goes under the radar, though, which means he is not one of the main favourites to win the Ballon d'Or , despite it being more than deserved. It might have helped his career, but Rodri, just like Kante, has always stayed humble. He's not been one for buying the fanciest items, and this includes tattoos.
“He doesn't have tattoos or earrings. His hair, he looks like a holding midfielder! A holding midfielder must be like this, think about the rest [of the team]," Pep Guardiola said about the midfielder in 2019. 8 Achraf Hakimi Moving on, Achraf Hakimi is one of the best right-backs in the world .
Not only has he excelled with Paris Saint-Germain, but he's shone with his nation, Morocco, on the biggest stage as well. Hakimi was a key player during the run to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals, possessing a confidence that very few have. Meanwhile, like others on this list, Hakimi is Muslim, meaning tattoos, as they are a 'major sin', are forbidden.
The right-back is expected to continue to excel in the coming years as he goes into his prime, yet one thing that will always remain the same is his lack of tattoos. 9 Matthijs de Ligt Finally, Matthijs de Ligt also has no tattoos. The now-Bayern Munich centre-back, although he is heavily linked with a move to Manchester United , continues a trend on this list of humble players going under the radar.
The Dutchman has rarely been involved in any controversial matters, whilst he opts to do his talking on the pitch. After leading Ajax to a Champions League semi-final as captain in 2019, it was expected that he would turn into one of the greatest centre-backs of all time , but he's struggled for consistency at both Juventus and Bayern Munich. It's unclear what will happen in the coming seasons.
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