‘I was a Premier League hardman, now I’m a painter who’s done work for ex-stars’

Ex-Premier League hardman Jody Craddock has gone from chopping down opponents to delicately drawing them after hanging up his boots in 2013.

The no-nonsense defender, 47, was a fan favourite at Sunderland and Wolves, spending eight seasons in the top flight, whilst also claiming the second-division title for both sides. Making over 230 appearances for the Molineux club, Craddock was handed a deserved testimonial match for 10 years of service upon his retirement from professional football.

It was to be a picture-perfect ending for the Wolves’ captain, who then set about creating his own artwork to pass the time.

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“I never set out to be an artist,” said Craddock. “I did A-Level art and I just scraped through, and although I enjoyed it, it was never the intention. Football was always number one. When I went to Cambridge [United], I couldn’t afford the materials.

“I literally had a pencil and a bit of paper, so I did some drawing and a bit of sketching. It wasn’t until I went to Sunderland and had a bit more money and time in the afternoon that it progressed.

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“There was a programme called the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross and he would literally do a painting in half an hour and I thought ‘I could do that.’ I had a go and clearly couldn’t do it, but my nature was ‘right, I’ll teach myself how to do it.’

“So I bought myself some oil paints and just the more it progressed as a hobby the better it got. I started showing them to the lads and it had a snowball effect. It was a hobby that got out of control. I love painting, I do it every single day.”

Craddock admitted he did briefly consider completing his coaching badges but in the end, it was an easy decision to pursue his “second passion”.

He added: “Once I got to the end of my career, it was a question of ‘do I go with my head and stay in football and do coaching and not see the kids at Christmas and school holidays, or do I go with my heart and following my second passion which was painting?’ In the week, I’ll do six, seven, eight hours a day, every day, which I really enjoy.

Craddock’s first exhibition of his works, entitled “Le Bellezza Della Fusione”, was held in November 2015, at the Antidote Art Gallery in Leicestershire. Oil paintings of current Wolves stars Raul Jimenez and Joao Moutinho are available to purchase on his website.

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