Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie has inspired plenty of admiration in Ecuador since becoming the country’s first player to represent the Gunners. One supporter – and journalist – has now taken that admiration a step further.
According to Ecuador’s Diario Expreso, journalist Christian Escobar has had Hincapie’s signature tattooed permanently on his arm after meeting the defender during Ecuador’s World Cup preparations in Columbus, Ohio.
Hincapie has become one of Ecuador’s biggest football success stories, and he has done it while wearing the shirt of a club Escobar has supported for years.
From autograph to tattoo in a matter of hours
Escobar explained that everything started with a simple request when he got the chance to meet the Arsenal player.
“When I had Piero in front of me, I asked him to sign my arm,” he said. “Hours later that signature became a tattoo.”
The journalist admitted the decision was driven by a mix of football fandom, national pride and the moment itself.
“It is a source of pride to see an Ecuadorian at Arsenal, a club I have supported since childhood and which became champions this season after a 22-year drought.”
The defender became the first Ecuadorian to wear the club’s shirt and was an important part of their Premier League title campaign.
$160 well spent
According to the report, Escobar was so determined to make the autograph permanent that he immediately went looking for a tattoo artist in Columbus.
The whole adventure cost him $160, although he made clear the money was beside the point. He explained why the tattoo means much more to him.
“Because it’s not just an autograph,” he said. “It’s the memory of the first Ecuadorian to wear the Arsenal shirt, the memory of my coverage of the 2026 World Cup and much more.”
And he finished with perhaps the most understandable line of the lot.
“There are stories that deserve to stay forever. This is one of them.”
It’s certainly unusual. Then again, becoming the first Ecuadorian to play for Arsenal isn’t exactly ordinary either.