A passionate Manchester United fan in Trafford has had a huge mural of his favourite player painted on the front of his house to greet match goers as they make their way to Old Trafford.
Craig Shannon, 42, from Stretford, said he has wanted a mural of Eric Cantona for years as a way of paying tribute to his favourite player and football club. The mural, which features a silhouette of the former forward star in his iconic 7 shirt, is painted on the front of his house near Gorse Hill and is the work of local artist Stacey Knowles.
“There are usually around 14,000 fans who walk past us each week on their way to Old Trafford,” Craig told the M.E.N. “There’s a footbridge at the back which they use so when they turn round the corner, this will be in their face now!”
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Craig said Cantona has always been his favourite player and was also popular with his late grandad. He hopes the mural will be a tribute to his own experiences of going to the match with his grandad.
“I’m a massive United fan - my grandad got me into football and he’s the reason I’ve got my season ticket,” he said. “He used to always take me when I was small and I just fell in love with the game from then on.
“I just thought that this would be something that people could come and see with their kids, take a picture and make a memory. At every game, they will see the mural and know they’re on their way to the game.”
The mural was designed by artist Stacey Knowles, 41, after seeing a post on Facebook from Craig asking for someone to design it for him. Coincidentally, they live just around the corner from each other.
“It took about four days to complete,” Stacey explained. “I’ve actually never done a mural before. I have a few health conditions so I normally just draw and do art at home, but then when I saw his post, I thought it would be something I could give a go.
“I’m so pleased with it. The image is from one Craig found, but it had a different silhouette so we’ve tweaked it slightly. It was inspired by that and we went from there. He seems completely happy with it.
“Craig’s absolutely mad for United and loves Cantona so he just wanted to honour him. It’s in a perfect place for fans to see as they go past.”
Mum-of-four Stacey said she has already received messages from people in the area asking her to do murals for them since completing Craig's piece on Friday (August 12). The artist, who shares her work on Instagram, added: “I’d definitely like to do more now that I’ve done one, it was such a joyful experience and a big achievement for me."
Craig said the decision for the mural initially faced some opposition from his wife, who he said he had to convince her to go with the idea. He explained: “I had a chat with my wife when I decided I wanted to do it and she wasn’t too sure about it initially.
“I’ve lived here all my life and there might be the odd hater - that’s the way football is - but I said to her that it would do so much good for the community that it would outweigh the bad. I won her over and she absolutely loves it now.”
He added: “My mum and dad came round yesterday to see it and I’d say my mum was even more sceptical than my wife. She said to me: ‘If your grandad was alive now, he’d give you a massive high five’. That made it all worthwhile.”
Craig said he has been ‘overwhelmed’ with how good the mural looks and how people in the area have reacted to it. “Stacey’s an amazing artist,” he said. “She was on the scaffolding for a week in the baking heat, but it looks so good. It just fits in right with the area.
“The response has been all positive. Whilst she was painting it, people were coming up and taking a photo. People knew it was Cantona before she’d even drawn the name and number on his shirt.
“We’ve already had people driving by and stopping for a picture - it’s insane. Stacey tagged me in a post last night and Eric Cantona’s brother liked the post - it’s wild.”
For those wondering if the mural is a temporary fixture, Craig says he can reassure fans it’ll be up for the foreseeable future.
“I hope it’ll be one of those things that fans remember on their way to the game. When kids see it, they’ll know they’re almost at the stadium. They call Old Trafford the Theatre of Dreams because you really feel like you’re part of something.
“Going to the game is about walking with your dad and making those memories, and that’s kind of what we want to do with it - be a part of that experience for the fans. And it’s going to be there for life, trust me.”
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