Meireles sports his Blue Mosque tattoo during World Cup training

ISTANBUL

AFP photo

Portuguese midfielder Raul Meireles has shown his newest tattoo, featuring the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, during a recent training for his team’s upcoming game at the World Cup in Brazil.

The former Chelsea and Liverpool player now calls Turkey his home, as he plays for Turkish football giants Fenerbahçe. 

Meireles’s right leg features a tattooed portrait of his wife next to the Blue Mosque, Lisbon’s famous cable car, an old microphone and a rose.

Sporting a bushy beard and a mohawk, the Portuguese 31-year-old is currently gearing up for his country’s critical second group game against Ghana. 

Portugal lost their World Cup opener 4-0 against Germany, with centre-back Pepe receiving a red card. The Portuguese now face a tough task of qualifying for the second stage of the competition.

Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet Mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for its blue tiles surrounding the walls of its interior design. The mosque was built from 1609 to 1616, during the rule of Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I. 

Being one of the most important mosques in Istanbul, it gained popularity after a visit by Pope Benedict XVI on Nov. 30, 2006 during his visit to Turkey. It was only the second official visit in history by a Pope to a Muslim place of worship.