David Moli dreamed of becoming a household name in the Premier League during his days as an age-group international in Liverpool ’s academy.
And while a decade on he’s on the brink of achieving that status, it’s as football’s artist of choice rather than the goalscoring centre-forward he once was.
The 28-year-old, who goes by the name ‘Boogie’ Moli in the art world, was always a keen drawer but didn’t pick up a paintbrush — not properly, anyway — until his career was ended by injury four years ago and he needed something to keep his mind busy. Now his work hangs in the homes of Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, Reece James, Antonio Rudiger and Fikayo Tomori, Mason Holgate and Reece James.
And rather than running out at Wembley, his dream now is to have his paintings displayed in the nation’s biggest auction houses.
Moli, who lived with Sterling on Merseyside, said: “Sothebys, Christie’s, they are the places I want to be, they are the goals I want to achieve. I have done great so far, but the goals I have are much bigger, to work with the big companies, Nike, Lamborghini, Ferrari, whoever. I’m absolutely as passionate about this as I was about football.
“It’s the same passion I had but this isn’t just a half-a-day thing, it’s 24 hours a day. I’d go into training, then go home and not think about it. With this, every single day I’m thinking about it, ‘What can I create next, what can I do next?’
"I saw a great picture of Phil Foden holding the Champions League trophy last week and I thought, ‘That’s going to look amazing’, so I’m just waiting for him to message me,” he added, laughing. "I’ll have it ready to go. It’s a great picture, a beautiful picture. Manchester City players: I’m ready.”
One of them already has a ‘Boogie’ Moli piece.
“Normally, they just want a picture that’s of a significant moment in their career,” said Chelsea fan Moli, who was born in DR Congo but grew up in Luton.
"With Jack Grealish, we did a picture of when he scored his first goal for City. When Tammy contacted me, that was a nice surprise. Fikayo Tomori and Antonio Rudiger was a good one. With Antonio, I did a portrait of him winning the Champions League and then one for him and his family.”
The one man he’d love to paint is Chelsea legend Drogba. He added: “He was my favourite player growing up, he’s the person I’d love to work with. He was the person I tried to base my game on. Same height, same build, I tried my best but I don’t think I did a great job.”
Moli still loves football but there are no regrets.
He said: “I don’t think this exhibition I have on now would have been here if I’d carried on playing. Everything happens for a reason and I’m just glad everything happened the way it happened.
“It was a very difficult time when I finished playing because I went from training every day and playing games to sitting at home doing nothing.
"And then seeing people I played with having amazing careers — Chuba Akpom, Luke Shaw — it was just hard for me to know I could be out there because I had the skills and talent to be with those guys but I’m wasn’t.
"But I don’t think that if I’d have done this after 30 it would have been the same result because I wouldn’t have had the same mind-frame that I had at 24.
"Everything happened at the right time and a lot of hard work and perseverance have got me here. I’m only just getting started.”
David ‘Boogie’ Moli’s Icons exhibition, featuring paintings of Pele, Diego Maradona, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Nelson Mandela, Amy Winehouse and Frank Sinatra, is showing at the QUANTUS Gallery in East London until July 9. Visit www.quantusgallery.com for more information
