The Portuguese native, who played for Liverpool football club and his country’s national side, died following a car crash in Spain earlier this month. His brother Andre Silva also lost his life in the tragic incident.
Liverpool-based artist John Culshaw had been commissioned to paint a Liverpool FC mural on the Halfway House pub in the city centre but decided to honour the 28-year-old instead after news of his passing broke.
Culshaw told The Morning Advertiser (MA): “Murals are the best way I can show what something means to me, but I didn’t know whether to do it [out of respect for the family], so I didn’t rush to do anything.
Giving love
“Once we heard the news, [the manager of the pub] rang me and asked what I thought about changing to design to a Diogo Jota mural.
“I had been wanting to paint him but I wanted someone else to go in on it with me because I didn’t want it to look like I was doing it for myself. The manager asked me to come up with a couple of designs for him to choose from and we liked this one because it had the heart symbol, it’s like he’s giving love back to the city.”
The artist said the mural had been well received by the community as well as Jota’s family, including his wife Rute Cardoso, with whom the footballer shared three children, who came to see the mural while it was being painted.
He continued: “[Rute] said she liked it; she was made-up. That was a big thing for me because I was unsure if I should do it or not. It was a big weight off my shoulders, knowing the family liked it.”
So many memories
Culshaw added Jota had been “massively popular” because his personality “fit right in” with the people of Liverpool. “That’s why we loved him so much”, the artist said.
Additionally, Culshaw said the Halfway House was a good location for the mural because the pub was a well-known venue for Liverpool supporters and popular with the local community due to its location between the train station and Anfield football ground.
In a post on Instagram on Tuesday 15 July, the artist said: “As Liverpool fans, we know how to deal with tragedy and show our appreciation to someone who has given us so much.
“Diogo has given us so many memories, it’s only right that he will remain our number 20 forever. RIP Diogo Jota and Andre Silva.”
