Sean Carrington, a 36-year-old roofer from Wigan, has returned to the tattoo studio to add the words 'just joking' to his leg, after his bold prediction that England would win the 2026 World Cup failed to materialize.
Carrington had spent £550 on a foot-long tattoo declaring "England World Cup Winner 2026" after the team's 2-1 victory over DR Congo in the last 32. He was so convinced that Thomas Tuchel's side would bring football home that he had the ink done without hesitation.
A Near Miss
England appeared to be on track for the final as they led Argentina 1-0 in the semi-final with just five minutes remaining. However, two late goals from Argentina shattered the dream, leaving Carrington with a premature celebration etched on his leg.
Despite the outcome, Carrington insists he has no regrets. "I'm more bothered that England hasn't won the World Cup than I am to have a tattoo on my leg," he said. "It's not bothering me. It's just a tattoo."
Free Correction
Jamie Taylor, boss of Holy Trinity Tattoo Studio in Standish, near Wigan, performed the original tattoo and the correction. He said the extra ink would normally cost £100, but they decided to do it for free.
Taylor noted that they had warned Carrington the original "wasn't going to wash off," but he "just wanted to do it anyway." He added: "He's just a happy, fun lad and the tattoo was something that he really wanted to do so we just helped him fulfil that. We were all very much in the belief that we were going to win so we didn't really think about if it went wrong."
Carrington described the end result as 'sound' and did not rule out future tattoo predictions, saying: "I don't plan any tattoo. It's just if it pops in my head."
