Beckham's tattoo obsession has spread to young England stars

England’s football stars can keep their arms covered up when playing Premier League matches during the chilly winter months back home.

But in the searing heat of Brazil they are sure to opt for short sleeves – meaning that the exotic full-arm tattoos favoured by some players will be on full display.

Several of the younger members of the England World Cup squad showed off their ‘sleeve’ body art in official team photographs released by Fifa on sunday.

Midfielder Ross Barkley, 20, sports a stirring quotation from the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, who tutored the hugely successful king and military commander Alexander the Great.
Topped by a fearsome-looking skull, the message on his left arm reads: ‘No notice (is) taken of little evil. But when it increases it strikes the eye.’
Barkley also has a tattoo of the Roman numerals ‘XX.VIII.MMXI’ to mark the date –

August 20, 2011 – when he made his senior debut for his club, Everton.
As well as red stars and roses, the player’s arm features Chinese characters that appear to read ‘fèngxiàn’, meaning ‘to devote’. 

Since he was a teenager, Jack Wilshere, 22, has assembled a ‘sleeve’ of tattoos that largely relate to his family.
The Arsenal midfielder’s right arm has the words ‘Family Love’, the names and dates of birth of his two children, Archie and Delilah, the Latin phrase ‘mater et pater’, meaning ‘mother and father’, and a rose in tribute to his sister Rosie.
On a sadder note he also has the initials JM and the dates 1990 to 2006 in memory of his uncle James Marshall, who died in a car crash aged just 16.

Wilshere has spoken of how he was inspired to get his tattoos by English football’s leading trendsetter.
'I first saw them on David Beckham, and I thought, "I like them",' he said last year.
'The best tattoos in football are probably on Beckham. I think he was like me, started really little, and now look at him, he's covered.'
Wilshere has hinted that he will also get his whole left arm inked over and perhaps move onto his chest.
He said: ‘Some of them I’ve really thought about, and then some of them have just been off the cuff. If you start thinking about it, it can take years to plan it, and then you’re not going to get it done.
‘It’s enjoyable because it’s going to be there for the rest of your life. I suppose you have to like it – it’s important to have your input as well.’ 

Raheem Sterling, 19, has used his tattoos to record both his humble origins and his soaring ambition as a footballer.
He grew up on a tough estate next to Wembley Stadium in north London, and his left arm features both a picture of the famous venue and the logo for the local Tube station.
The teenage winger, who plays for Liverpool, also has the words, ‘Thank you mama for the nine months you carried me, through all the pain and suffering,' inked on his biceps in tribute to his mother Nadine, who brought him up single-handed when they moved to Britain from Jamaica.
At the top of his arm he has the name and an image of the face of his daughter, Melody Rose, who was born in 2012.
No doubt there will be more tattoos to come if England defy all predictions and lift the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro on July 13.