Cardiff City fan rewarded with signed boots after getting Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s name tattooed on ankle

by Callum Ellis

SOME football fans are guilty of getting rather obscure tattoos inked on their bodies.

Earlier this year, a River Plate fan went to extreme measures when he got a tattoo of a QR code linking to the highlights of their 2018 Copa Libertadores final win over rivals Boca Juniors inked on his leg.

And after one Cardiff City fan decided to get Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s name tattooed on his ankle, the Bluebirds winger came up trumps with a pair of boots that he promised to cover it up.

Sam Hogben, who lives in Porthcawl, was on holiday with friends in a popular party resort in Greece, when he went to a tattoo parlour to get the winger’s name permanently etched on his body after a night out.

“I went on a boys’ holiday to Malia,” Sam said.

“The first tattoo I got out there was ‘CCFC’ on my wrist and two of my other mates had the same on their ankles.

“Two nights later, we went to the tattoo parlour again. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing is my favourite player, so I got his name on my ankle.”

Meeting his hero

Sam, a lifelong Bluebird, took an image of the finished product before sharing it on his Twitter account with the caption: “@MendezLaing19 what’s this worth then?”

And he was surprised to discover that the 27-year-old replied to his tweet.

“I can’t remember tweeting him but he replied at the time.

“He messaged me privately to say I could have a pair of his boots.”

Sam says he has no regrets over getting the tattoo, although he wasn’t sure whether Mendez-Laing would fulfil his promise.

But he was greeted by the former Rochdale winger after the Bluebirds’ 1-0 victory over Stoke City on Tuesday night.

“I messaged him last Sunday asking about the boots,” he added.

“He said he would meet me after the game against Stoke.

“He gave them to me and we had a laugh about it.”

“Mendez delivering the goods,” wrote Sam on his Instagram account accompanied with an image of the signed boots, to which the winger replied “deserved”.

Future ink?

Sam could yet add another one of Neil Harris’ men to his body in the shape of maverick Lee Tomlin, if his latest Instagram post is anything to go by.