Ben Brereton Diaz: Fan's belly tattoo of striker leads to fame in Chile

The football fan said Brereton Diaz had complimented him on the tattoo when they met

A football fan has found fame on the other side of the world after his tattoo of Chilean striker Ben Brereton Diaz became big news in South America.

Blackburn Rovers fan Lewis Hamill, who has several tattoos, said he decided to have the striker inked on his stomach because it "fitted in" with the rest.

A friend shared a picture of it on social media, where it soon got widely shared to football fans in Chile.

As a result, he was featured on Chilean TV, which he admitted was "mad".

Born in Stoke-on-Trent to a Chilean mother and English father, Brereton Diaz became a national hero in Chile in the summer as the country reached the quarter-finals of the Copa America.

Mr Hamill said he was not worried about the striker leaving Blackburn, as there was "nothing to do with Rovers on the tattoo"

Mr Hamill said he wanted a tattoo of the striker drinking a can of the soft drink he advertises in South America, as the image complemented the "other stuff I've got on my belly".

"On the opposite side, I've got the Kray twins, and because [Brereton Diaz] has got the flat cap and what not, it just fits in well," he said.

"I don't know why I like them, but I just do. My partner doesn't, but she knows what I'm like."

He said his friends had posted a picture of it on a Blackburn Rovers fan page on Facebook, which led to a Chilean football fan to get in touch to ask if he could share it with his 40,000 followers on Instagram.

Brereton Diaz became a national hero in Chile in the summer as the country reached the quarter-finals of the Copa America

That post was seen by a TV crew from the country, who were in the UK to do a feature about Brereton Diaz and asked him to come and meet them and the striker.

The footballer had already seen it online and told him it was "quite a good tattoo", he said.

He said he was not worried about transfer speculation that has linked Brereton Diaz with a move away from his beloved Blackburn as there was "nothing to do with Rovers on the tattoo, so that's not something I'm worried about".

However, he added that the meeting with the striker had led to him needing to get more body art.

"He signed it, so I'm going to get that tattooed," he said.

"I've messaged him to see if he wants to do it, but he's not got back to me yet."

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