Wigan, UK - A passionate England fan was so convinced that the national team would win the 2026 World Cup that he got a massive tattoo on his leg – then the team got knocked out!
36-year-old Sean Carrington spent nearly $750 on a new leg tattoo, made up of a large trophy set above the text: "England World Cup Winner 2026."
"If we lose, I'm just going to add the words 'only joking' afterward," he was cited as saying by the BBC this week. He had apparently been convinced that England would bring home the trophy since they beat the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"I'm just impulsive really," Carrington said. "The longer it goes on in your head, the more you talk yourself out of it."
While his girlfriend tried to talk him out of it, Carrington went ahead with the inking and immediately fell in love with it.
"I'm glad really, as it's a really good tattoo," he said. "I called the shop, and they were busy, but when I explained what I wanted, the lady said 'Wow, yeah, I'll fit you in.'"
The tattoo is impressive, of course, but also turned out to be a gamble that he may regret – England was knocked out of the tournament on Wednesday after a tense 2–1 match against Argentina.
England's loss came as a shock – they'd sat ahead of Argentina until the 85th minute, at which point Lionel Messi's team shot through to win two consecutive goals in quick succession.
"Gutted for the boys, gutted for everyone – the team, the staff, the fans," England Captain Harry Kane said after the match. "We played a good game."
"So, just gutted because we've worked so hard to be here and the lads have given every last bit of running, blood, sweat, tears."