Slot paid to have portrait replaced, but teammate told he has 's*** in his eyes'

The Dutchman could well end his first season at Liverpool as a Premier League winner, earning him flags of his face across the Kop and stadium.

Yet when he received a mural at the club of his career as a player, he had to pay to get it replaced.

Slot played over 250 games in midfield for local club PEC Zwolle, twice getting promoted to the Eredivisie, earning him legendary status and with it a painting at the club's stadium.

In 2009 during his second run with the side, artist Henk Heideveld was commissioned to place a portrait of the club great, although it later turned out he wasn't such a fan.

While at Feyenoord, shortly before departing to Liverpool in 2024, the 46-year-old cycled past the artist's house and stopped by.

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Slot explained: "It's an assumption: but if my name hadn't been under the painting and you'd asked twenty Feyenoord players: who is that? Well, then I think at most two would say: 'that's our trainer'.

"Not to offend Henk, absolutely not. But in the photo that has been hanging there for a while now, I didn't always recognise myself that well.

"Or at least: it is no longer who I am now. And assuming that this portrait will hang there for a while, I think it would be nice if there was one where I could say: yes, this is me."

Heideveld was more than happy to fulfil the request, commenting: "He came cycling by. I said: 'hey, Arne, this is a surprise'.

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"He wanted to talk about my painting. Could I perhaps make a new one? A different one. A nicer one."

"I actually thought it was an honour that Arne asked me again."

Slot paid the artist €2500 [£2100] out of his own pocket for it to be recommissioned from the bearded 30-something to the man we know today, but it turns out not everyone is so polite.

The Reds manager's long-time teammate, Bram van Polen, retired last summer as Zwolle's record appearance holder with a massive 511 games between 2007 and 2024.

Naturally, he also got a mural alongside Slot's, but now, half a year later he has discussed it as a pundit and caused some controversy.

"It looks like I've had some kind of TIA [stroke]," he said while working for ESPN. "Have you seen mine? It's much worse than Arne's. It looks like I've had some kind of TIA."

Heideveld has since been asked about the comments, and it's fair to say that he wasn't impressed.

Speaking to De Stentor, the portrait artist said: "I couldn't believe my ears.

"Bram actually thought it was really beautiful when I had finished it. Brilliant, even. RTV Oost still has footage of that unveiling. He was beaming from ear to ear at the time.

"To criticise me like that, I really think: what possesses such a man? I already said: I think Bram has s*** in his eyes. Or to put it more politely: it seems as if he still has the mud from defending in his eyes.

"Saying TIA is well below the belt, but okay, I also have to control myself, make sure I don't let myself go.

"I had already thought of him as an a-cultural farmer from the Veluwe. Who has never been to a museum."

Asked if he'd be available for another recommission, he added: "A new one? Him? Absolutely not!

"I thought Arne was right. That could indeed be better and more beautiful. But this one is very beautiful. Everyone says that too.

"In fact, I painted that painting of Bram very contemporary, in sort of squares. And those are not pixels! Man, I worked really hard on that one too."

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Van Polen has since offered an apology of sorts, saying: "That wasn't nice of me. Only, I'm not very happy with it. But hey, I think everyone can see that."

They say art is subjective, but as far as football tributes go, Van Polen has no right to complain compared to Cristiano Ronaldo...