Memphis Depay’s tattoos feel less like decoration than a diary carried on his skin. Family, faith, ambition and private reminders appear across his chest, arms, back and legs, with even a small design inside his lower lip. Some are impossible to miss; others only show up in a close photo.

The collection ranges from the lion across his back, said to have taken about 26 hours, to phrases such as Dream Chaser, a memorial to his grandfather and the hidden word “succesvol.” The designs do not share one style because they mark different parts of his life.

Here is a closer look at the pieces documented in photos and tattoo coverage, along with the meanings that have been reported and the details that remain open to interpretation.

Dream Chaser and Believe Achieve sit across his chest

The words across Depay’s upper body are closely tied to the image he projects. “Dream Chaser” stretches across his upper chest, while “Believe Achieve” sits lower down. Together, they read like a short plan: keep pursuing what you want, then do the work to make it happen.

It is a familiar kind of football motto, but it feels connected to Depay’s own confidence and ambition. The phrases show when he plays, trains or takes his shirt off for a photo, making them both a public statement and a reminder he can carry with him.

The lettering sits among wings, script and smaller details, so his chest does not read like a blank canvas with one quote in the middle. These words are the headline in a much fuller story.

“Dream Chaser” is perhaps the clearest shorthand for the way Depay wants to be seen: ambitious, restless and still moving forward. “Believe Achieve” gives that drive a second step.

The lion on his back is the centerpiece

Depay’s lion tattoo gets the most attention. It covers much of his back, and tattoo guides often associate it with strength, courage and self-belief. Those ideas fit the image, though it is safer to describe the lion as part of Depay’s public persona than to claim a single official meaning for every detail.

The scale is part of its story. Reports say the work took around 26 hours, a long session for all the shading and detail. This is no small emblem tucked under a collar; it stretches across his back and changes how the rest of the collection reads.

Lions often represent leadership, bravery or control in tattoo culture. Beside Depay’s “Dream Chaser” motto and other confidence-focused designs, the image feels less like a standalone animal portrait and more like a visual anchor for his public image.

Photos from the front tend to show his chest and arms more clearly than the back piece. It helps to separate what is documented from what one particular photo happens to reveal: the lion is on his back, even when the image in view shows another part of his collection.

His grandfather tribute includes a date and Christ the Redeemer

Family is one of the strongest themes in Depay’s tattoos. Tattoo guides identify a tribute to his grandfather that includes the date 14-02-2009. It is described as a memorial marker, adding a personal note alongside the larger ambition quotes.

He also has an image of Christ the Redeemer on his left torso, alongside the date 18.06.14, which published summaries connect to his first goal for the Netherlands. The design carries a religious image and marks a football memory at the same time.

These details make the collection hard to reduce to one aesthetic. A memorial date is doing different work from a lion; Christ the Redeemer is more than a large picture. One tattoo remembers a person, another marks a career moment, while the words on his chest look toward what comes next.

The dates may not be as striking in a photograph as the bigger designs, but they help explain why the collection matters. They turn the ink into a timeline.

The angel, wings and faith imagery fill his arms

Depay’s upper body also carries designs linked with faith and protection. There are wings across the chest, along with an angel scene that tattoo coverage has described as a guardian angel watching over a sleeping child. The imagery is gentler than the lion, though it still takes up plenty of space.

Wings can suggest freedom, faith or remembrance, while a guardian angel brings in the idea of care. Depay has not given a formal explanation for every symbol, so it is best to keep the reading measured: the imagery looks devotional and protective, while smaller personal details are harder to identify from photos alone.

His arms are heavily tattooed too, with script, small symbols and pieces that blend into the chest work. From a distance, the whole area can look like one continuous sleeve. Up close, the separate ideas become clearer.

That layered look suits a collection that has grown over time. Religious imagery sits alongside motivational phrases and football memories, without everything needing to match perfectly.

Egyptian figures cover the leg

Another part of Depay’s collection draws on ancient Egypt. Tattoo guides have documented figures on his leg, including Isis, Nefertiti, Anubis and King Tut. Their look gives that area a different mood from the chest lettering and the lion on his back.

These figures come with familiar cultural associations: Isis with motherhood and protection, Nefertiti with beauty and royal power, Anubis with death and the afterlife, and King Tut with ancient royalty. Those are broad references, not necessarily Depay’s own explanation of each portrait, so they are useful context rather than a definitive statement about his intent.

The Egyptian theme is specific enough to stand as its own chapter in the collection. The figures share a visual language, while other parts of Depay’s body carry different ideas. He does not force everything into one style.

Training photos can make leg tattoos hard to read because of shadows, socks and movement. Still, the larger Egyptian portraits have appeared often enough in coverage to count among the main groups in his collection.

Stars, successful and the small circle keep the collection personal

Some of Depay’s most interesting tattoos nearly disappear in an ordinary photo. The best-known is “succesvol”, meaning “successful,” inked inside his lower lip. It is deliberately hidden, and the joke is simple: the word stays private until he decides to show it.

He also has small stars and a circle that tattoo explainers have linked to goals, direction and close relationships. One small forearm piece has been identified as “Memphis,” while other lettering can be hard to distinguish from nearby ink in low-quality images. A careful inventory separates the well-documented tattoos from guesses based on a blurry crop.

The stars sit nicely beside the larger statements. A lion or a full chest quote makes its message visible to everyone, while a tiny symbol may matter most to the person wearing it. The circle has been described as a reminder of Depay’s small circle of friends, though sources do not always explain its meaning in the same way.

These smaller marks keep the collection from feeling too grand. Depay has the dramatic back piece and the religious imagery, but also a word inside his lip and details that only appear up close. That range makes the collection feel personal rather than packaged.
What Memphis Depay’s tattoos say as a collection

Seen together, Depay’s tattoos sketch out ambition, memory and belief. The lion is the big visual statement; “Dream Chaser” and “Believe Achieve” put words to the drive behind it. The date for his grandfather and Christ the Redeemer keep the football story tied to family and faith, while the angel imagery adds a sense of protection.

The Egyptian figures bring another interest into the mix, while the stars, circle and lip tattoo keep things from getting too serious. There is space for symbolism, career memories and a little mischief in one collection. That is more fun to follow than a matching set planned all at once.

A photograph can never show the whole picture. A shirtless pitch photo might catch the chest and arms but miss the lion; a gym shot may show the leg work and hide a small line of script. Each angle reveals only part of the collection.

For Depay, the strongest thread is not a single style but the habit of attaching ink to a feeling or a moment. Some tattoos look ahead, others hold on to family, and some are private reminders. That mix of huge images and tiny hidden details is what makes his tattoo collection feel lived in.