Memphis Depay, popularly known as Memphis, is a professional Dutch football player who is famous for dribbling, his pace, ability to cut inside, and ability to play the ball off the ground. He captains French club ‘Lyon’ and plays for the Netherlands national team. Apart from his successful football career, he has impressed his fans with his several body tats. Most of the tattoos of Memphis are inspired by cartoon characters, showing his keen interest in different cartoon series. Let’s scroll down to know more details regarding his tattoos along with their meanings. 
1. ‘Lion’ Tattoo
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Tattoo: ‘Lion’ Tattoo on his back and on his left leg.
Meaning: A lion tattoo is one of the most common animals’ tattoos which represents powers, strength, courage, wisdom, pride, royalty, dignity, and self-confidence. According to Memphis, the lion tattoo on his back represents him. In an interview, Memphis explained the meaning behind his lion tattoo. He said,
I always had a feeling that I’ve been brought up in the jungle. I was always outside, I’ve been to rough areas and I’ve been through rough times. The lion on my back represents me – I have the heart of a lion. I got it done in Manchester. It took a long time because it’s so big, maybe like 24 hours in total. The lion is for me, ‘the king of the jungle,’ and I always stayed on my feet even though it was rough.”
Not only this, he launched his Biography ‘Heart of a lion’ by Memphis Depay and Simon Zwartkruis on May 28, 2019. He uploaded a picture on his Instagram account with a caption,
The streets is talking! Today we took the number one spot as the BESTSELLING book in the Netherlands! 🥇👑 I’m so glad I was ready to share my life story with the world, and I hope it keeps inspiring and motivating everybody out there! Big love to Simon Zwartkruis who helped tells my story. If you haven’t read it so far get your copy via the link in my bio!” 📚#HeartOfALion 🦁
He has a lion tattoo on his left leg also.
2. ‘Dream Chaser’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Dream Chaser’ Tattoo on his chest.
Meaning: This tattoo is self-explanatory which truly defines Memphis, who always has worked hard to achieve his goals in life. He had faced rough times in his life but today he is one of the most successful football players because of his hard work and dedication.
3. ‘Thought’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Thought’ Tattoo on his left forearm.
Meaning: The Thought which says “you’re far Away you live on in our hearts I love you.” Along with this quote a date ’14-02-2009′ is also inked. Memphis got this tattoo inked to pay tribute to his late grandfather who died on February 14, 2009, exactly after Memphis’ birthday. Memphis was just 15 when his grandfather died. In the 2014 World Cup, when Memphis scored against Australia, he kissed this tattoo and pointed towards the sky, dedicating his goal to his late grandfather. In an interview, Memphis expressed his feelings for his late grandfather. He said,
That man gave me a lot of strength and took great care of me. At that moment I thought to myself: I’ve got to go for it. I know where I want to go, and that is the top.”
4. ‘Shamrock Leaf’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Shamrock Leaf’ Tattoo on his jugular notch.
Meaning: A shamrock leaf tattoo is often related to good luck and good fortune.
5. ‘Wings’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Wings’ Tattoo on his collarbone area.
Meaning: Wings are considered as the symbol of God’s presence which represents love, faith, blessings, freedom, protection, healing, guidance, support, comfort, and abundance.
6. ‘Faith’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Faith’ Tattoo behind his left leg.
Meaning: This tattoo is often related to believe in God’s promises, trusting, and relying on God’s character and faithfulness.
7. ‘Cross’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Cross’ Tattoo on the back of his head.
Meaning: Cross tattoos are very common among celebrities. Generally, a cross tattoo represents the event of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It also represents one’s faith in spirituality and religion.
8. ‘Lori Harvey’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Lori Harvey’ Tattoo just below the left side of his chest.
Meaning: Lori Harvey is a daughter of Steve Harvey, an American comedian, and entrepreneur. Lori is a famous American model who has always been in headlines because of her link-ups. Lori and Memphis started dating in January 2016. Memphis proposed Lori in June 2017 to which she replied yes. However, the couple called off their engagement in the same year. They made their separation public in 2018 when Lori was spotted without her engagement ring.
After the split, Memphis was spotted without ‘Lori Harvey’ tattoo and there were rumors that the player has got the tattoo removed by the laser treatment. Still, no public confirmation regarding these reports is made by Memphis.
Memphis spotted without ‘Lori Harvey’ Tattoo
9. ‘Peacock Feather’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Peacock Feather’ Tattoo on his shoulders.
Meaning: Peacock feather has several different meanings in different religions. Generally, it is a symbol of pure soul, divine knowledge, immorality, divine love, and wisdom. It is also called as the ‘evil eye’ of female demon ‘Lilith’, known as the harbinger of misfortune, illness, bad luck, and death.
10. ‘Aang from Avatar’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Aang from Avatar’ Tattoo on his right forearm.
Meaning: Avatar Aang is a 12 years old fictional character in the animated television series ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ who controls the four elements i.e. air, water, earth, and fire. Aang along with his friends tries to bring peace and unity to the world. This series has three seasons, which was first aired in February 2005 and concluded in July 2008. It has won Annie Awards, Genesis Awards, Peabody Award, and Primetime Emmy Award. Aang’s character has also appeared as trading cards, webcomics, video games, stuffed animals, and t-shirts.
11. ‘Jigglypuff’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Jigglypuff’ Tattoo on his right arm.
Meaning: Jigglypuff is a Pokemon species who appeared in the anime series of Pokemon franchise. It is called ‘Balloon Pokemon’ as it is in a round-shape with pink colored skin and blue eyes. It is known for putting the enemies to sleep by singing a lullaby.
12. ‘Genie’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Genie’ Tattoo on his right forearm.
Meaning: Genie is a fictional cartoon jin who first appeared in Aladdin in 1992. The Genie serves as a ‘comic relief’ who has shapeshifting abilities.
13. ‘Pattern of Roses’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Pattern of Roses’ Tattoo on his left forearm.
Meaning: Generally, roses tattoos are associated with love, romance, passion, feelings, soulmates, marriage, emotions, and true love.
14. ‘Cherubs’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Cherubs’ Tattoo on his chest.
Meaning: Cherubs refers to the baby angels which depicts innocence, immature love, cupid, the messengers of God, and a link between earth and heaven. Memphis got the tattoo of cherubs just below his ‘Dream Chaser’ tattoo.
Memphis getting his ‘Cherubs’ tattoo inked.
15. ‘Dollar Sign’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Dollar Sign’ Tattoo on his shoulders.
Meaning: It denotes the admiration towards the financial world. It also denotes the desire to achieve the goals.
16. ‘Shinchan and Shiro’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Shinchan and Shiro’ Tattoo on his right elbow.
Meaning: Shinchan and Shiro are the cartoon characters from the Japanese manga series. The series follows the adventures of five years old ‘Shinchan Nohara’ along with his parents, baby sister, pet dog, neighbors, and friends. ‘Shiro’ is the name of the Nohara family’s pet dog. Shinchan made his first appearance in a Japanese weekly magazine called ‘Weekly Manga Action’ in 1990. This Japanese series is created by the artist, Yoshito Usui.
17. ’13’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ’13’ Tattoo on his left wrist.
Meaning: It refers to the birthday of Memphis which falls on February 13.
18. ‘Marahute Eagle’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Marahute Eagle’ Tattoo on his right forearm.
Meaning: Marahute is the name of giant golden mother eagle which appeared in ‘The Rescuers Down Under’, an animated American adventure film which was released by ‘Walt Disney Pictures’ on November 16, 1990.
19. ‘Eye of Horus’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Eye of Horus’ Tattoo on his right forearm.
Meaning: Eye of Horus is an ancient symbol of protection, power, and good health. It is used to ward off evil and provides protection to the wearer.
20. ‘Rayman’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Rayman’ Tattoo on his right arm.
Meaning: Rayman is the main character of ‘Rayman: The Animated Series’, which is an animated short film released in December 1999. This film is based on the ‘Rayman video games series.’ The character Rayman has magical abilities and powers which he uses to help his friends.
21. ‘Khalisa El Har Portrait’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Khalisa El Har Portrait’ Tattoo on his left thigh.
Meaning: Memphis was once involved with a young lady named ‘Khalisa El Har’ whose portrait tattoo he has on his left thigh. According to the media reports, after breaking up with Khalisa, Memphis got engaged to Lori Harvey. When the engaged couple went public, Memphis’ ex-girlfriend Khalisa took her Instagram account and called Memphis ‘a fame-hungry heartbreaker’ and tweeted,
I have been quiet for over a year because I thought you deserved joy in life, but today I speak my heart out because what you have done to me has hurt me in a way I never expected from you. I prayed for you to gain success and achieve all you ever dreamed of. Once your dreams came true … you left the country and received your fame. You forgot me and I let you. I felt so lied to while I gave you all my trust. You left me heartbroken, left without any explanation, exchanged me with your favorite celebs list like I never existed. You are the worst lie a woman can ever go through in her life. I feel sorry for everyone who still believes in you. Now they are engaged, I wish them all the good luck and blessings and I do not want the past to take their shine away.”
Later on, she deleted all her tweets.
22. ‘Angel’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Angel’ Tattoo on his left arm.
Meaning: Memphis got ‘guardian angel looking after a sleeping child’ tattoo which represents love, protection, guidance, hope, faith, and spirituality.
23. ‘Pharaoh Seti and The Prince of Egypt’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Pharaoh Seti and The Prince of Egypt’ Tattoo on his right forearm.
Meaning: ‘The Prince of Egypt’ is an American animated musical drama film that shows the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny of leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. This film was released in December 1998.
24. ‘Skulls’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Skulls’ Tattoo on the nape of his neck.
Meaning: Memphis got ‘tiny skulls with an angel nimbus’ tattoo which denotes the powers and abilities to overcome the obstacles. It refers to strength, courage, blessings, guidance, and powers.
25. ‘Stars’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Stars’ Tattoo all over his chest.
Meaning: Memphis got several tiny stars tattoo on his chest which symbolizes direction, goals, desires, and positive vibes. It also represents the divine relationship with God and the ability to overcome the obstacles of life.
26. ‘Cross’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Cross’ Tattoo near his left wrist.
Meaning: It represents the faith in Christianity, referring to the event of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
27. ‘Unidentified’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Unidentifed’ Tattoo on his left thigh.
Meaning: No clear piece of information regarding this tattoo is available.
28. ‘Mowgli’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Mowgli’ Tattoo on his right forearm.
Meaning: Mowgli is the name of a fictional character that appeared in an American musical comedy film ‘The Jungle Book.’ Ths story is about a feral child ‘Mowgli’ who is the Indian jungle by his friends and wolves. One of his friends ‘Baloo’ convinces him to leave the jungle before the arrival of the evil tiger ‘Shere Khan.’
29. ‘Dream Believe Achieve’ Tattoo
‘Dream Believe Achieve’ Tattoo below the right side of his chest.
30. ‘LadyBug’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘LadyBug’ Tattoo on his left arm.
Meaning: A ladybug tattoo is a symbol of good luck, good fortune, good times, prosperity, growth, protection, passion, romance, love, blessings, loyalty, and friendship.
31. ‘Memphis’ Tattoo
Memphis got his name ‘Memphis’ inked on his left forearm
32. ‘Egyptian Goddess Isis’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Egyptian Goddess Isis’ Tattoo on his left leg.
Meaning: ‘Egyptian Goddess Isis in an ancient goddess of Egyptian religion. She was considered as the divine mother of ‘Pharaoh.’ She was more prominent in funerary and magical practices.
33. ‘Queen Nefertiti’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Queen Nefertiti’ Tattoo on his left leg.
Meaning: Queen Nefertiti was an Egyptian queen and wife of ‘Akhenaten.’ The couple was known for their religious revolution of worshipping one God ‘Aten.’
34. ‘Anubis’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Anubis’ Tattoo on his left leg.
Meaning: Anubis was known as the God of Death and Afterlife, often related to mummification and burial rituals and rites. He looks like a man with the head of a jackal. As per the Egyptian theories, Anubis helped to decide the fate of the dead in the afterlife. If the person had lived an evil life, his heart would be heavy with his evil deeds and then the deceased would be eaten by ‘Ammit.’ If the person had lived a kind, decent, and good life, his heart would be light in weight, then the deceased would be worthy of entering the afterlife to meet ‘Osiris.’ The weight of the heart of the dead is weighed against the feather of truth.
35. ‘Egyptian King Tut’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Egyptian King Tut’ Tattoo on his right shoulder.
Meaning: Egyptian King Tutankhamun was an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh who was the last from his royal family to rule at the end of the 18th Dynasty. He married his half-sister Ankhesenamun, the queen of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. She was the daughter of Queen Nefertiti. Probably, along with the tattoo of King Tut, Memphis has a tattoo of Queen Ankhesenamun, but no clear piece of information or any sort of confirmation is available regarding this tattoo.
36. ‘Bug’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Bug’ Tattoo on his left knee.
Meaning: Memphis got a ‘large bug with wings and angel nimbus’ tattoo. No clear piece of information regarding this tattoo is available.
37. ‘Unidentified’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Unidentified’ Tattoo on his right arm.
Meaning: No information regarding this tattoo is available.
Memphis getting his tattoo inked
38. ‘Palm Tree’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Palm Tree’ Tattoo on his left leg.
Meaning: Palm tree tattoo is considered as the symbol of God, representing good luck, wisdom, blessings, knowledge, and divine connection. It also represents the ‘Garden of Paradise.’
39. ‘Gigi’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Gigi’ Tattoo on his right wrist.
Meaning: Gigi is the name of Memphis’ childhood best friend.
40. ‘Christ the Redeemer and date 18.06.14’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Christ the Redeemer and date 18.06.2014’ Tattoo on his left torso.
Meaning: This tattoo represents ‘Jesus of Rio.’ He got this tattoo in reference to his first international goal for the Netherlands. In an interview, Memphis said,
I have one on my ribs, this one, the Jesus of Rio. I got that one when I played in the World Cup and I scored my first goal. That switched a lot of things in my career so that’s one of my favorites.”
41. ‘Tiny Circle’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Tiny circle’ Tattoo near his right wrist.
Meaning: This tattoo is inked in reference to the small circle of friends he has. In an interview, Memphis said,
One of the tattoos I really like is the small circle. It’s for the small circle that I have, the small circle of friends – they are family for me. I’m not really moving with a lot of people. It’s for us, more a relation thing, a trust thing and it’s a very nice symbol to say we have a small circle and we keep it tight because these days it’s very special.”
42. ‘Iron Man’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Iron Man’ Tattoo on his right arm.
Meaning: Iron man is a fictional superhero who appeared in ‘American comic books’ and made his first appearance in 1963.
43. ‘Unidentifed’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Unidentified’ Tattoo on his left arm.
Meaning: No clear piece of information regarding this tattoo is available. Below this tattoo, the date 18.10.2006 is inked.
44. ‘Unidentifed’ Tattoo
An ‘unidentified’ tattoo on the backside of his left leg
45. ‘succesvol’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘succesvol’ Tattoo on the inside of his lower lip.
Meaning: The word ‘succesvol’ is a Dutch word which means ‘successful’ in English. A clear picture of this tattoo is not available.
46. ‘Symbol’ Tattoo
‘Symbol’ Tattoo on his right wrist.
47. ‘Taz Tasmanian Devil-Cartoon’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Taz Tasmanian Devil-Cartoon’ Tattoo on his right wrist.
Meaning: Tasmanian Devil often referred to as ‘Taz’, an animated cartoon character featured in ‘Looney Tunes.’ Taz is portrayed as cruel, violent, stupid, meat-eater, short-tempered, and impatient who can be calmed by any music.
