Peter Crouch opens up on why he doesn't have any tattoos and says David Beckham 'has a lot to answer for'

It is estimated that over 50 per cent of professional footballers have tattoos, which will come as no surprise to former England international Peter Crouch, who has given his two cents on the subject.

Many footballers, past and present, have embraced body art down the years but getting a tattoo has never crossed Crouch's mind.

The former Liverpool, Spurs and Stoke City forward, who opens up about his life with wife Abbey on The Therapy Crouch podcast, recently gave his take on the wider tattoo trend.

“These days it seems like every single footballer who has ever so much as sat on a bench in League Two has a tat," he said via the Daily Star.

“They’re so commonplace you’d think it was written into the contract that you have to have one. And they don’t just have tiny, subtle tats with the initials of their children. They have a whole sleeve, from wrist to neck."

In a typically entertaining fashion, Crouch would then explain the reasons behind avoiding a permanent reminder on his body.

“Every single footballer has them. Except me, for two reasons," he began. "This first reason is that a tattoo all the way up my arm would make a serious dent in the world’s ink supplies.

“The second is that most tattoos remind me of the scribbles you’d find on a school desk, or worse, on the walls of a cubicle in a service station on the M62.”

The 42-year-old also questioned the often-tedious process of looking after a tattoo once it's done.

“Getting a tattoo just never, ever crossed my mind. I never wanted to draw attention to my long arms and legs," Crouch added.

“I suppose I could get quite a bit of writing down my thigh, though. A novel, perhaps. Maybe War and Peace. Or I could list every club I ever played for – you’d need a long limb for that.

"But I don’t think I could be bothered with it. Tattoos seem like such a pain to look after.”

Image credit: Getty

He wasn't done there, either. David Beckham even got a mention from Crouch, who said the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder has "a lot to answer for" when it comes to to the trend.

“He inspired the footballing tattoo epidemic, especially the neck and hand tattoo that had previously been the sole preserve of the serial killer.”