Wolves unveil paintings in tribute to Diogo Jota
A pair of paintings in tribute to the late Diogo Jota have been unveiled at Molineux.
The former Wolves forward tragically died last summer alongside his brother Andre Silva, which led to a huge outpouring of grief at Molineux, as flowers and tributes were laid by fans around the Billy Wright statue.
Petals from flowers laid were collected and used to create ink, which former Wolves defender Jody Craddock has used to create two large paintings in tribute to Jota.
They were unveiled on Friday afternoon, ahead of the FA Cup fixture between Wolves and Jota's club at the time of his tragic death, Liverpool.
They will now hang permanently in the reception area of the Stan Cullis stand.
Craddock said: “It brought immense pride, with who it is and what it represents. The club turning flowers to paint was a fantastic idea, and for them to ask me was very nice because it meant they trusted me to do a good enough job to produce pieces to hang up there forever.
“I’m really pleased with them. The balance of the two together is perfect. It was nice to get them framed and see them in the place they’re meant to be.”
An intimate event was held for the unveiling, with member of the coaching staff, first team squad and club hierarchy in attendance.
That included head coach Rob Edwards, as well as Rui Pedro Silva and Rui Fuste who worked closely with Wolves previously during his time at the club.
The unveiling was led by club director John Gough.
He said: “This is a memorial for everybody within the club and importantly involves our fans who felt so upset by Diogo’s passing, with all of their tributes included. Jody’s done a fantastic job to encapsulate Diogo very well.
“The opportunity of getting everybody – all departments – together to remember one of our outstanding players, and the contribution he made to this football club, was a nice moment.”
Both paintings will also be reproduced for installations outside Molineux in another permanent tribute to the former star attacker.
Wolves and Liverpool fans both paid tribute to Jota during Tuesday night's Premier League game and further tributes were held during Friday's FA Cup clash as six flags were raised in the South Bank in the 18th minute and 20th minute, representing the numbers the player wore for Wolves and Liverpool.
Those flags were all created by local artists as both clubs came together to remember the player during the game.
