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A Lionel Messi fan who had the footballer's name tattooed on his face after Argentina's World Cup triumph says he regrets what he did.

Colombian influencer Mike Jambs inked the word Messi on his forehead, three stars on one of his cheeks for each of the World Cups Argentina has won and D10S on the other which is a combination of the Spanish word for God with the player's famous number 10 shirt.

He initially defended his decision against attacks from critics who branded him stupid after he posted footage of him having his bizarre tattoo done on his Instagram site, insisting: 'I'm not harming anyone, I'm not doing anything illegal.'

But overnight he admitted he wished he could now turn the clock back, admitting: 'I regret having done the tattoo because instead of bringing me positive things, it's led to lots of negative things, both personally and for my family.

'I didn't think I'd be saying this so soon and I felt very proud of what I'd done in the first few days, but I now wish I hadn't done it.'

Argentine tattooists were swamped by the demand for Messi tributes in the aftermath of his nation's World Cup win.