Wolves unveil special Diogo Jota tributes before Liverpool FA Cup tie

The club commissioned former Wolves defender and accomplished artist Jody Craddock to create two large-scale paintings of the club legend. In a poignant touch, petals from the thousands of floral tributes left by supporters at the Billy Wright statue last year were collected and processed to create the ink used in the artworks. These pieces will now hang permanently in the reception area of the Stan Cullis Stand for fans to visit.

Director John Gough led a private ceremony on Friday to reveal the works, attended by first-team manager Rob Edwards and several former team-mates. Reflecting on the significance of the project, Gough 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."

Gough continued to emphasise the collective nature of the mourning process at Molineux, adding: "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." The event saw first-team players like Jose Sa and Matt Doherty pay their respects to a player who remains deeply woven into the fabric of the club.

For Craddock, the project was a deeply personal one, blending his own history as a Wolves hero with his second career as an artist. "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," Craddock explained during the unveiling.
The artist expressed his satisfaction with the final result and the emotional weight the paintings carry for the Molineux faithful. He added: "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." Weatherproof versions of the art will eventually be installed outside the stadium to ensure all supporters can access them at any time.

The timing of the tribute is particularly resonant as Wolves host Liverpool in the FA Cup. Fans have already planned several displays of affection, including the raising of six flags in the South Bank. This follows recent Premier League action where Jota's name was chanted by both sets of supporters in the 18th and 20th minutes - representing the shirt numbers he wore for Wolves and Liverpool respectively.

The paintings and a new exhibit in the Wolves Museum are the latest in a string of tributes, following a supporter-funded tifo earlier this season and floral tributes laid at Anfield by club staff in December. For a player who once said, "Being here at Wolves is my dream," these permanent installations ensure that his presence at Molineux will never be forgotten by the fans who adored him.