Exclusive
WHAT D'YA INK?
Charlton defender Lewis Page tells story behind tattoos including Wembley, girlfriend’s lip kiss and one he regrets
West Ham academy product Page talked SunSport through his many tattoos and the reasons behind them
OF all the tattoos etched across Lewis Page’s body, the most recognisable one is also the most hidden.
At first glance, the eyes are drawn to the giant clock that hangs over the Charlton defender’s shoulder, the rolling dice on his wrist, or the bright red lips printed on his elbow.
16
You spot the soaring Phoenix that creeps out from under the sleeve of his training top, as well as the feather that runs down the side of his forearm, which is falling through a forest.
The more ink Page added to his body, the more depth there was of meaning.
And his latest, added a year ago and concealed by his sock, carries the best memory of his past and the biggest dream for his future.
The giant arch of Wembley curves across the middle of the calf muscle, with two silhouettes in the foreground walking towards the national stadium, linked hand-in-hand.
“It’s me and my dad looking up at Wembley,” Page, 22, tells SunSport.
“We went a few times. There was England-Brazil a few years ago and I also went on a school trip.
“I remember thinking, ‘I need to play here’. That would be the ultimate goal, especially if it was an England cap.”
16
16
Page is leaving a space below the tattoo where he hopes to one day mark the day of his England debut, while the date above the arch – July 2, 2015 in Roman numerals – was his first start at West Ham.
Having joined the club at the age of nine, former manager Slaven Bilic gave Page his break in a Europa League game. This was a milestone in his journey, one he shared with his father, Martin.
“He took me all over the country with football,” Page says, sat in a fold-up chair on the grass outside Charlton’s training ground.
“When I signed for West Ham, he took me to every single game and he always liked to coach me as well.
“On the way home, in the car, I always knew there would be a debrief but, to be fair, it’s helped me because you don’t always get it from coaches so it’s good to get it from another angle and it helps me move on.”
16
16
16
Martin runs a cleaning company near the family home in Bishop’s Stortford. Page still lives with his parents, making the hour-commute to the New Eltham training base every day.
But he’s currently looking at properties to move into with his girlfriend of five years, and she’s left her mark on Page in more ways than one.
“That’s my girlfriend’s lips,” he says, pointing at the red tattoo on his arm.
“She put some lipstick on, kissed a bit of paper and then you take it in and they stencil it onto you. That’s her exact lips.”
16
16
Page hesitates when asked for his girlfriend’s name. Not for reasons of anonymity or protection, but because the potential for marriage provides a comical prospect.
“She’s called Paige,” he says, laughing. “If we were to move onto the next step it would be Paige Page. That’s another story.”
But when more of it is written, there is the possibility of more material for Page’s unfinished canvas.
Asked what other tattoos he’s planning, Page says: “I’m going to wait until I have kids. Everyone’s getting these hand prints now. Have you seen them? They’re the baby handprints, so it would go well with the lips.”
And how many handprints would there be?
“Depends how the first one goes,” he says, again breaking into laughter. “I’d say two or three. Depends how good the first one is.”
A more immediate project is to capture those closest to him in an image on the space at the top of his leg.
“I’d like to get a portrait on my thigh,” he says. “Maybe a family photo, mum and dad, nan and granddad.
“My granddad passed away a few months ago so I want something to do with him on there, and a framed portrait would work nicely.
“I used to see him three or four days a week, he’d pick me up when mum and dad were working.”
16
LATEST FOOTBALL NEWS
Family is clearly an integral part of Page’s life. Between his shoulder blades he has the word printed on a heart and dagger — but his mother, Jackie, wasn’t a fan at first.
Aged 18, Page came home with the giant phoenix printed on his left shoulder.
“I went big first and from then I got addicted to them,” Page says.
“But mum was going to rip my head off.
“Had my first one and she said, ‘What are you doing?!’ The old ‘you’re spoiling yourself’.
“But most people like them — the younger generation — most people have tattoos these days.”
And like many other ink-lovers, Page’s tattoos carry a message.
‘Sink or swim’ is represented by a skull on his forearm; the feather between the trees means ‘write your own story’; the sign of the swallow indicates ‘living in the moment’; and the Chinese writing on his bicep translates as ‘Live. Laugh. Love.’
Across his ribs, he has a poem he saw on the internet and edited a little to make more relevant to him.
“It’s about having no regrets, waking up in the morning and basically doing your best,” he says.
16
16
16
16
There is one he doesn’t like, though.
“It said, ‘live the life you love, love the life you live’ either side of a rose,” Page explains. “But I thought it didn’t look right so I put the old-school things in there again.
“It was alright, I think I just grew out of it and thought it looked a bit stupid.”
Wembley will not be something Page grows out of. As he prepares for the new Football League season, which begins away to Sunderland on Saturday (August 4), promotion may be the aim but Three Lions is the dream.
“It wouldn’t be bad winning the play-off final,” Page says, “but, let’s be honest, the goal is England.”
16
16
16
Topics