Andre Anthony Gray is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Watford. Gray came into limelight after scoring 57 goals in 111 appearances in a two-season spell with Luton Town. Before joining the senior team he used to play youth soccer at Shrewsbury Town. Andre has a huge tattooed body and this is one of the main reasons for his big fan following. Besides his much famous back tattoo, Andre has multiple inks on his arms too. Let us explore his interesting inks and their meanings.
Chest Tattoos
1. ‘Roses’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There are two roses inked, one each on his left and right shoulder blade. Roses are the symbol of new beginnings and hope.
2. ‘Roman War Scene’ Tattoo
Tattoo: The right pec of Andre is inked with the war scene from History. There is a big picture of some masked general inked above his right pec followed by the armed troops and a roman numeral which reads as, “MCMXCI” (which stands for the year 1991), inked right on his right pec.
3. ‘Flying EAGLE -Still to Rise’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his left pec Andre has a big eagle inked in the flight position and large open feathers. Just above the eagle, there are words written which go as, “Still I Rise”.
Meaning: The tattoo is the symbol of his will power and how he just believes in moving ahead in life and overcoming all his failures. He got it done to remember the times when he overcame all the difficulties which he had to face during the time when Gang Culture was prevalent in his hometown.
“Still I Rise” It’s a good quote,’ he said. ‘Obviously you’re going to get adversity along the way and some things will knock you back, but as long as you can fight through it and get back up … it kind of made sense to me. ‘
4. Back Tattoo
Master Piece!! pic.twitter.com/bBdFLMhbI3
— Andre Gray (@AndreGray) September 7, 2017
“The civil rights movement is something I’ve looked into a lot,” said Gray. “When I was about 23, I started reading up on it all and watching TV programmes. You find you read about one person and then you find there is a documentary you can watch about them and then it usually leads on to something else.”
“I went to Zanzibar on holiday and there was a lot there about civil rights and there was a museum, where there are old slave chambers,” he said. “It was horrible to go to and they’ve still got the chains there. It opens your eyes a lot. To go to Africa and see some of those things was pretty difficult, but it makes you think.”
Tattoo: Covering the whole of his back, Andre got a tattoo which represents his tribute to the American civil rights activists. The portrait of each fighter is inked with their special movements and events. The tattoo took almost three years to be completed and a total of eight long sessions.
A. Nelson Mandela
Tattoo: The first on the topmost left corner is the portrait of Nelson Mandela who became the first Post Apartheid President after completing the confinement of the period of 27 long years.
B. Muhammad Ali
Tattoo: The tattoo of Muhammad Ali lies just below the portrait of Nelson Mandela. Ali is the former weightlifting champion and considered to be the strongest till now. The ink showing Muhammad Ali represents him standing in the boxing ring when he was criticizing the stricken Sonny Liston during one of his matches.
C. Rosa Parks
Tattoo: Just below the ink of Muhammad Ali, there lies another portrait of a very well known Civil Rights Activist i.e Rosa Parks. The tattoo contains the ink of the Bus as well as a banner that reads the movement which she was part of. She became famous through the Montgomery Bus Boycott which began when she had refused to give up her seat which was reserved for Whites.
D. Marcus Garvey
Tattoo: Towards his lower back, there lies a tattoo which shows a newspaper headline and the portrait of Marcus Garvey who had started an advanced a Pan-African philosophy which led to a global mass movement, known as Garveyism. He also founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League.
E. Martin Luther King
Tattoo: On the top right corner of Andre’s back, there is a tattoo of Martin Luther King who was a well-known spokesperson of the American Civil Rights Movement from the year 1955 till the time of his death in the year 1968.
F. Malcolm X
Tattoo: Towards the extreme right of his upper back, there lies another inked portrait which shows Malcolm X who was an American Muslim Minister and a famous human rights activist during the Civil Rights Movement.
G. Tommie Smith and John Carlos
Tattoo: In the center of Andre’s back exists another tattoo which shows Tommie Smith and John Carlos who during their medal ceremony in the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City on October 16, 1968, had raised their Black Gloved fists as the symbol of unity which became the most iconic sport’s image.
H. Bob Marley
Tattoo: Just to the right of their images, there lies the tattoo of the portrait of Bob Marley who was a very famous and well known Singer and Songwriter.
I. Black Panthers
Tattoo: Towards the lower-middle back, Andre got the tattoo representing the Black Panthers Party, a revolutionary political organization founded by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton for self-defense.
j. Huey Newton
Tattoo: The ink showing Huey Newton lies on Andre’s lower back. Huey Newton was the co-founder of the Black Panthers Party and also another powerful political activist of America.
When asked about his favorite hero, he said, Marcus Garvey as, “He was the one a lot of other famous civil rights activists looked up to and he had Jamaican heritage as well, like me, so it was really interesting for me. Then you start watching videos on YouTube and all these other people pop up and you learn more and more.”
Arm Tattoos
Right Arm Tattoos
5. ‘Andre’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On Andre’s right upper arm there exists his own name “Andre” written withing a big crown. The tattoo is the clear symbolism of the fact that Andre considers himself the king of his profession. The tattoo is a new covering to his previous tattoo which included the shaded portrait of Jesus Christ in a standing pose.
6. Quote on Right Bicep
Tattoo: Andre has a quote inked towards the inner side of his right bicep which reads as “I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees”.
Meaning: The quote clearly means that it is better to stand on your own beliefs and ideas rather than voicing and following somebody else’s beliefs’. Tattooing this on his body, Andre has clearly shown that he is the believer of his own thoughts and ideas.
7. ‘Bible Verse and a Rose’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There is a quote taken and inked on the right forearm of Andre inside a banner. Right below the banner of the writing, there is a rose inked towards his wrist.
8. ‘Stars, Rose and Flying Birds’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Towards his right shoulder there are stars inked just under his rose tattoo. There are multiple patterns which flow downwards towards his elbow which included darkened clouds and flying birds.
9. ‘Saint’ Tattoo
Tattoo: A saint in a sitting pose and meditating is inked on the right forearm of Andre.
10. ‘One’ Tattoo
Tattoo: The letter ‘One’ is inked on the right hand’s wrist of Andre. The tattoo clearly shows how he considers himself to be number one among all footballers. The tattoo has various geometrical designs and stars inked around it.
11. ‘Egyptian Man’ Tattoo
Andre has another face inked on his right forearm. The tattoo represents some Sultan of the Eygptian Times.
12. ‘Graveyard’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On Andre’s right forearm there also exists a tattoo of a graveyard along with the crosses inked on them.
13. ‘Angel, and Stars’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the outer side of his right bicep, there s a tattoo of a baby angel that is surrounded by stars on its sides.
14. ‘Wallclock’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Just below the baby angel tattoo, there is a wallclock inked.
Left Arm Tattoos
15. ‘Fly’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Andre has a fly inked on the backside of his left bicep.
16. ‘Feather’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Just below the fly tattoo, Andre has got a feather inked on the outer side of this left bicep. Feather ink is the symbol of bravery.
17. ‘Lady’s Face with a Rose’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There is a portrait of a lady inked with pouted lips inked on Andre’s left forearm. The lady’s hands are kept on her chin as if in a shocking pose. There is also a rose in the hands of the lady.
18. ‘No Good Without God’ Tattoo
Andre’s left arm has been tattooed with the words, ‘No Good Without God‘. The words are written in italic font. ‘No Good’ is tattooed above the portrait of the Princess ‘Without God’ is inked right under the Crowned Princess’s portrait.
19. ‘Crowned Princess’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Just above the lady’s portrait on his left forearm, Andre has got another portrait which shows a crowned princess.
20. ‘Girl Face’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the inner side of his left upper arm, Andre has another face inked. The tattoo shows a picture of some girl.
21. ‘Flying Angel’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On Andre’s right shoulder there s a tattoo of an angel that seems to be hanging in the air. There is also a Dollar sign inked beside it. Angels are the symbol of good fortune.
22. ‘Butterfly’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There is a big butterfly tattooed near the lower side of Andre’s left elbow. The tattoo is the symbol of new beginnings and transformations in life.
23. ‘Tribal Face’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There is a beautiful tribal face tattoo which lies exactly on the left bicep of Andre. The neck of the man also carries a string of tiny birds flying across his jawline and open hair. Tribal inks are the symbol of spiritual as well as the source of ritual protection against demons.
24. ‘Rose and Sunrays’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There is another rose inked on Andre’s left hand’s wrist followed by multiple patterns inked as sun rays falling on his forearm.
25. Thigh Tattoo
