The meaning behind Mason Mount’s tattoos - including special 1999 tattoo (2024)

Mason Mount may have a new lease on life at Manchester United following Ruben Amorim's arrival at Old Trafford. The English attacker has struggled to reach expectations since joining the club from Chelsea in July 2023 for £60 million.

The 25-year-old has encountered countless injury problems that have plagued his spell with the Red Devils. He's appeared just 26 times, with one goal and one assist to his name. Erik ten Hag handed him the club's famous No.7 shirt, but his time under the recently sacked Dutch manager left much to be admired.

Amorim could give Mount, who earns £250,000 per week, a fresh chance to shine with a 3-4-3 formation that involves two number 10's sitting behind a center-forward. The Portuguese coach is reportedly set to hand the 36-cap England international a prominent role in his team.

It's easy to forget how exciting Mount was before his move to United. He'd excelled at Chelsea under newly-appointed England manager Thomas Tuchel. This came after a meteoric rise that included growing through the youth ranks at Cobham. During his time with the west London giants, he also visited the London Social tattoo studio to get new ink, including one United fans will love.

Mount's special '1999' and other sentimental tattoos

The versatile attacker has '1999' tattooed on the back of his right arm, representing his birth year (January 10, 1999). But for Red Devils fans, that year means so much more as it's the same year Sir Alex Ferguson led the club to an unprecedented treble. United won the treble in 1999 with a squad of British talent, including Gary Neville, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.

Mount also pays homage to Portsmouth, his hometown, on the same arm with a tattoo of the HMS Victory, a landmark of the port city. This was Lord Nelson's flagship in his victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805. A two-time Player of the Year with Chelsea, Mount will hope his injury battles are over and that he can contribute under Amorim.

Two hung-up boxing gloves are also tattooed above his birth year. This is most likely dedicated to his maternal grandfather, Bill, a standout amateur boxer in his youth. A 'sword pierced into a crown' also features near the glove. Mount's father Tony said:

Mount left behind many friends when he left Chelsea, and two players he grew close to were Ben Chilwell and Christian Pulisic. The Englishman added a tattoo of an eagle to his right arm in 2024, a motif shared with his two ex-Blues teammates. The line “Every road will take you home” sits below these images.

The former Derby County loanee has done plenty of exploring during his career, including a risky move to Old Trafford. He's also shown exploration in the tattoo chair with symbols and visual representations, such as a tattoo of the moon's phases, which sits above the eagle tattoos. The numeric sequence '1234' sits below this.

Mount's Champions League ink

Mount's most famous tattoo, certainly among Chelsea fans, is adorned on his abdomen. It's of a dragon surrounding the Champions League trophy, which he won with the Blues in 2021.

This was his first-ever tattoo, and a dragon is used to evoke memories of the historic European night in Porto. He became the first English player since Wes Brown in 2008 to assist in a Champions League final in a 1-0 win over Man City.

Mount touched on the tattoo in an interview with Sky Sports:

Mount's other tattoos include family symbols and Latin expressions

Mount is a family man, and his father, Tony, has been with him every step of his footballing career. The pair were spotted together when he was unveiled as a new Manchester United player at Old Trafford. He's paid tribute to his parents with a tattoo of their birth dates just above the stomach.

He also hasn't left out his siblings, Stacy Muchmore, Jasmine Benham, and Lewis Mount, who feature on his upper left arm. He has four dots, three filled and one hollow, in dedication to his two sisters and one brother. There is also an empty circle, which symbolizes himself, while his star sign, Capricorn, features on his right calf.

Mount also has a stargazer lily tattoo representing his grandmother's favourite flower. This and a pair of cherubs dedicated to his grandparents' wedding cake are also on his right arm, along with the boxing gloves.

The one-time FA Cup winner also has a small tattoo on his back derived from Latin. One is the phrase "Inopinatum Expectos," which translates into “Anticipate the Unforeseen.” He's done that throughout his career and could do so as part of Amorim's new 3-4-3 formation.

Mount's other Latin expression ink sits on his right calf and reads “Per Aspera Ad Astra,” which translates to “Through Hardship to the Stars.” He and United fans will hope he's put his difficulties behind him ahead of a new era at Old Trafford.