A besotted influencer has shocked his followers by getting ‘Messi’ tattooed in huge letters across his forehead to celebrate the football star’s World Cup win.
Super fan Maicol Quinonez – who is not even from Argentina but from Colombia – describes himself as a “digital creator” and boasts 143,000 followers on Instagram.
He posted a video of himself getting the bizarre inking with the caption: “Meeting the challenge. I love you, @leomessi.”
Maicol also had ‘D10s’ – a play on the Spanish word for ‘God’ and Messi’s shirt number – inked on one cheek and three stars representing Argentina’s World Cup wins on the other.
Online, he invited his followers to “ask me a question”.
One asked what his family had said about his new tattoos.
Maicol replied: “They didn’t really say anything. They know I’m not harming anyone. I’m not doing anything illegal.
“And the most important thing is they know I’m happy. Because you never know when you’ll depart this world.”
But not everyone was impressed with Maicol’s new appearance.
Instagram user Mauricio Hoyos commented: “People do very stupid things for ‘likes’.
“I don’t even know why I follow you. Hey, pal, get a doctor to see you.”
After his story did the rounds online, Maicol was interviewed on Argentine TV. When asked about his critics, he told his interviewers: “I don’t care what others think.”
He added that he was “happy with the result” of the tattoo.
Maicol also wrote: “I don’t understand why I’m treated badly, why I’m criticised, why I’m judged if it’s my life, it’s my body, and I’m not hurting anyone.
“I don’t understand why more is demanded from an ‘influencer’ than from a politician.
“I don’t understand why people go viral doing only stupid things, but nobody sees positive content that contributes to society, nobody shares it, nobody makes it viral.”
