Otamendi s Messi s tattoo and the love of the green brothers

When Argentine defender Otamendi posted a new tattoo on social media, Messi, who was far away in Miami, was stunned at the screen for three seconds. The tattoo pattern in the video is clearly visible - on the football wrapped in blue and white stripes, Messi's iconic No. 10 back appears, and the bottom is "Side by You" written in Spanish. The King of Football, who has always been quiet, quickly dialed the video call, but what blurted out was: "Nicholas, are you crazy! "

This conversation full of fireworks happened in the early morning of September 2025. At that time, it had been two and a half years since Qatar won the World Cup, but Otamendi still remembered the oath he made in the locker room: "If we hold the Hercules Cup, I must keep Messi on my skin forever." For this battle-hardened defender, engraving the image of the leader into flesh and blood is not an impulse, but a witness of the thrill of 15 years.

Messi was already the Golden Globe winner when the 22-year-old Otamendi first appeared on the stage of the competition. Young boxer-born defender frequently "offensive" the team's core in the training ground with a fierce upswing style. But Messi always smiled and pulled him up after falling to the ground: "Keep this energy and bite the forward on the other side." Since then, Otamendi has understood the special thing about this pride of heaven - always putting the team above personal glory.

The life-and-death battle against Mexico in the Qatar World Cup has verified this understanding. When the whole team fell into the shadow of losing in the first game, Messi used a knock to break the deadlock. Otamendi still remembers the King of Football’s speech in the locker room: "We came here with the expectations of the whole country. There is no way out, we can only entrust each other like warriors." It is this belief that has melted personal destiny and collective glory that has allowed him to enter the tattoo shop without hesitation after winning the championship.

"He has never liked to be treated specially. " Otamendi couldn't help laughing when talking about Messi's reaction to seeing the tattoo. The video call lasted for forty-seven minutes. The first ten minutes were the King of Football pretending to be angry and "reprimanded" and the last thirty-seven minutes were the two old boys who made up old accounts with each other - from a locker room prank during the youth team to an interesting thing about practicing late at night at the training base. When Messi saw the tattoo artist specially added the Pampas Eagle on the edge of the football, he couldn't help but say: "It's actually quite cool. "

Perhaps it is this pure and ultimate way to get along with each other that has made the pair still have a tacit understanding after three World Cups. Otamendi still retains a photo of the locker room after the 2014 World Cup final, with Messi holding his shoulders with tears in the photo. Eleven years later, when they embraced each other in the dazzling fireworks in Doha, the defender said the same sentence in the ear of the King of Football: "We deserve all this. "

Now this tattoo carries not only the memory of the champion, but also the precious love in the football world. When the reporter asked if he would add the Hercules Cup, Otamendi stroked his back and smiled: "The position here is left for his retirement number, after all, our story has not been written yet." In the training ground under the night, the No. 10 player from Miami International was practicing free kicks. The screen of a defender far away in Brazil suddenly lit up - "Next time to meet, do you want to tattoo your tackle on my left arm? "