Zlatan Ibrahimovic was born Oct 3rd, 1981 making him a Rooster with Kua number 1. He grew up in Sweden where he started playing football at the age of 6, signing up as a professional with Maimo at age just 15. From there on his career sky-rocketed... Ajax Amsterdam, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, you name them... "Ibra" (short for his nickname "Ibracadabra" the Magician) has played in almost every major club in Europe, leading each one to the top of the league.
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| Good Luck Charms Tattoos |
Recently he has really hit the jackpot! At 31, he has signed up with the prestigious French Club Paris Saint Germain for the never-before-heard-of transfer fee of 148 mil £ (about 175 mil. $). His fixed income amounts to 14.5 mil. £ (17mio. $) a year. But in view of the upcoming tax legislation in France (75% tax for earnings exceeding 1 Mil. £ / year), he has also convinced his employer to pay his taxes as well as his social security, thus securing himself a 70 mil. £ (95 mio. $) income for a 3 year-job.
We know that the Rooster is having a fabulous year in 2012, and that Ibra is a fantastic striker, but this deal is quite extraordinary. But this could seem less surprising if you look at his background, and if you like him believe in the power of symbols. Ibra has a black belt in Taekwondo, a discipline which led him to become familiar with oriental philosophy and symbolism, and his choice of tattoos shows a systematic theme through the years.
Zlatan got his first tattoos on his wrists in 2006 and these have been known since as "the Ibrahimovic code": his father's, brothers' and sons' dates of birth were inked onto his right wrist. His upper arm sports his father's name on the inside (Sefik) and his sons' names added later on the outside (Vincent and Maximilian). All the male members of his family are located on the right side of his body because the men are stronger (yang) and the women are closer to the heart (yin). Hence you can expect the woman on the left side. His mother's and sisters' dates of birth are tattooed on his left wrist, and his mother's name appears on the inside of his left upper arm (Jurka).
In 2007, he added a huge Maori symbol on his right shoulder to protect his family and to ward off evil. This symbol stands preeminently above his family's name written in Arabic, here again on the right arm. The Arabic writing is commonly seen as a discreet allusion to his father's muslim belief, even though Zlatan himself is a Christian. Here comes somebody whose love and respect for his family goes beyond religious beliefs, someone who knows how important family is and who very much honors his parents.
In 2009 came his probably most striking tattoo: a huge red Chinese Dragon crawling down his right oblique. The mighty and majestic dragon bestows the magical energy of this celestial creature, bringing courage, creativity and capabilities that spell success. It also brings powerful yang energy so essential to an athlete. The dragon is also the rooster's secret friend, and the Rooster-born Ibrahimovic is thus borrowing his friend's luck and building on its support and strength. In 2012, he is also effectively tapping into the specific energy of this tattoo.
Lately he has added two poker cards, the ace of hearts and of clubs placed near the dragon as additional good luck charms. The ace stands for 1, Ibrahimovic's Kua number. The club stands for spirituality and the discreet "H" in the central heart stands for his long-time girlfriend and the mother of his children Helena Seger, a beautiful, highly intelligent lady 11 years his senior.
Around late summer/early autumn 2010, a Thai amulet appeared on his right shoulder: the Yant Prajao Khao Nirote (yant of the master) is not commonly seen as a tattoo design but used as a design on religious relics, such as holy cloth hung above doorways of homes. The monk image in the middle has a Buddhas image on the head and is covering all orifices of his body with his six hands. This sacred tattoo represents the avoidance and abstention from Evil, as well as protection against all kinds of injuries, black magic spells and evil influence.
Actually, there is much more meaning to it than outlined here, but it is interesting to note how important protection against all kinds of harm is to its bearer. Ibra very much emphasizes protection because this is the first and main step towards good feng shui, and in fact, he has been spared major injuries through his almost 20-year career! This ends Part 1 of Good Luck Charms Tattoos. To find out more, you can read the next post.