England fan has 30 passport stamp tattoos from cheering on Three Lions across globe

England fan Ian Odgers wears his heart on his sleeve – with passport stamp tattoos covering his body from his travels around the world cheering on the Three Lions.

The dad-of-three has more than 50 inkings – with 30 of them marking countries where he has watched the England team in action.

Ian, 57, from Dereham, Norfolk, has attended more than 100 games and hasn’t missed a home match in 17 years.

The Operations Manager has now joined thousands of England fans in the US following Harry Kane and co as they battle for World Cup glory.

Ian said: “The only thing you can liken watching England win in tournaments to is like seeing Father Christmas come as a kid. There’s nothing like it, that’s why I go.

“I follow England home and away and have done for over a decade. I started getting my passport stamped about six years ago with one’s on my legs.

“Then I decided to start filling in my arms in 2022.

“I go for sessions of about two hours and generally have six to eight passports done.”

The lifelong fan has ticked off seven international tournaments – including trips to Montenegro, San Marino and Kosovo.

He added: “My wife questions each and everyone I have done and every time I go to a city she questions my sanity.

“I know I’ve been in excess of 100 England games in my time. I haven’t missed an England home game in 17 years, I haven’t missed an England qualifier or friendly for 14 years.

“It becomes a little bit of an obsession. It’s the first thing that goes in my calendar each year.

“I plan my life around that. This year on my wife’s birthday I’ll be away following the lads.”

Despite his globe-trotting lifestyle, Ian says it’s getting harder to mark his journeys.

He said: “It’s annoying that they don’t give stamps much anymore.

“Podgorica, Montenegro away, is one of my most unusual as not many people have heard of it. San Marino is another, Kosovo is too.”

The footie fanatic has flown 4,500 miles to the US to follow England’s bid to win the World Cup.

Ian said: “The heat out here is intense. The temperatures are just insane, Tampa was so hot. The pitch wasn’t great and it’s all about getting acclimatised.

“There’s so much more to England football if you want there to be. I’ve got so much booked beyond the football.”

Ian has already snapped up provisional tickets right through to the final on July 19 where he hopes to watch Harry Kane lift the trophy.

But he admits he’s been left stunned by some of Thomas Tuchel’s selection calls.

He said: “There’s been a bit of a controversy, Phil Foden I’m not bothered about as he’s never had a good game in an England shirt, but Harry Maguire being left out is a bit of a shock.

“Jude Bellingham I’m sat on the fence with at the moment. I don’t think Southgate had what he needed to get us over the line, maybe Tuchel can.

“If we win it we win it, I’d rather it be an English manager, but I don’t mind if we win. Let’s see what Tuchel can do.

“Whoever he picks, the starting 11, we need to be behind them.”

England play Croatia tonight in their first group match in Dallas before taking on Ghana in Boston next Tuesday and Panama in New York a week on Saturday.

More than 10,000 England fans are set to follow the Three Lions as they try and bring it home for the first time since 1966.

“I’ve got a feeling something special is going to happen this year,” said Ian. “If we do win, I’ve got plenty of room for a World Cup tattoo.”

Ian’s passport stamps include trips to Malaysia, Spain, North America, Philippines, Argentina Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Jordan, Qatar, Russia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Egypt, Morocco, Finland, Germany, Montenegro, Canada, Mauritius, Kenya, Thailand, Tunisia, Costa Rica, Maldives, Slovakia, Ireland, Cyprus, Turkey, Lithuania and France.