A fallen football star notorious for his lacklustre performance on the pitch has been mocked after undergoing an eight-hour marathon inking under anaesthetic.
Striker Mariano Diaz notched up just seven goals in five first-team seasons with Real Madrid before the Spanish club let him go.
Now Diaz has become a laughing stock after it emerged that he’d been under full anaesthetic for an inking session led by celebrity artist Joaquin Ganga.
A video from the session – in Los Angeles, USA – shows the 29-year-old star in a surgical gown in a room that looks just like an operating theatre.
The footage – obtained by Newsflash – shows the out-for-the-count star laying face down on an operating table as six artists work on the new inkings on his legs.
They appear to be copying images of black cultural icons like Muhammed Ali and Bob Marley for the tattoos for the 29-year-old player.
Earlier this year Diaz had a huge tattoo of a lion created on his back with the word ‘INDOMABLE’ – or ‘Indomitable’ in English – by the same artist.
But the session was a massive own goal with football fans who mocked Diaz for being unconscious to avoid the pain.
One ‘AdryMata_’ joked about his poor performance on the pitch saying: “Being eight hours without doing anything is not new to him.”
Another – ‘YunatidusAE86 – added: “He had already been anaesthetised for five years. Being in the same state for eight more hours won’t make a big difference.”
And ‘S.F.A’ laughed: “More people around him than goals for Real.”
Then ‘Gatonauta2’ joined in: “This boy is not right in the head.”
Diaz – who has 2.8 million followers on Instagram – has been a bitter disappointment to Real Madrid fans.
The striker’s market value peaked at EUR 22 million (GBP 19 million) in 2018 when he returned from a one-year spell at French side Olympique Lyon.
He is currently rated a lowly EUR 2.5 million (GBP 2.15 million) million by the soccer analysis website Transfermarkt.
Real Madrid issued a statement on 3rd June saying: “Real Madrid would like to express its gratitude and affection for Mariano, a player who has belonged to our academy from 2011 to 2016 and to the first team for six seasons, in which he has won 13 titles: Two European Cups, three Club World Cups, two European Super Cups, three Leagues, one Copa del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups.”
The club concluded: “Real Madrid wishes him and his entire family good luck in this new stage.”
In a farewell note to Real Madrid supporters, Diaz said on social media earlier this month: “These five seasons held many difficult moments and some very good ones.
“I didn’t get to play as many matches as I would have liked, but I tried to drop my soul on every ball and give everything I have for this team.
He added: “Now is the time to look forward. I want to start a new phase with all the ambition in the world.
“I fulfilled my dream and I never gave up. That 10-year-old Mariano would be so proud of him today.”
Tattoo artist Ganga has more than 1.5 million followers on social media and has inked A-list celebs like basketball star LeBron James, rapper Post Malone and social media star Jake Paul.
