Wolves mural vandalised with blue paint on eve of Black Country derby

A mural celebrating 150 years of Wolverhampton Wanderers was vandalised within hours of its grand unveiling.

Blue paint was daubed across the artwork outside Molineux on the eve of the highly anticipated Black Country derby between Wolves and rivals West Brom.

Images and videos widely shared online on Saturday evening showed blue paint splashed across the mural, with a paint tin left on the ground beneath it.

The artist behind the mural Joe Miles praised West Brom fans online for condemning the actions.

Joe, from Sedgley and who is a Wolves fan, said: “It's a massive shame that this has happened, I spent a lot of time planning and painting the artwork for everyone to enjoys, but unfortunately some people have taken things a bit too far, I've seen plenty of West Brom fans online condemning the actions which is good to see.

“I'll be able to fix the painting that's not a problem at all, no point crying over spilt paint but hopefully this will spur on the players and fans and make for an even better derby day.”

And the vandalism has left the face of Wolves legend Raul Jimenez - one of the main features of the artwork - covered in blue paint.

The Mexican striker had already been ruled out of Sunday’s derby with injury.

By Sunday morning, ahead of the derby, the blue paint had been scratched from the mural, leaving blank spaces in the artwork.

Wolves fans reacted angrily online after pictures of the vandalised mural began circulating on social media.

The artwork had only been unveiled earlier on Saturday as part of celebrations marking 150 years of the football club, with Wolves officials and city leaders attending ahead of Sunday’s derby showdown.

Among those at the unveiling were Wolves chairman Nathan Shi, directors John Bowater and John Gough, director of football operations Matt Wild and Wolverhampton Council leader Councillor Stephen Simkins.

The nine-metre-wide and five-metre-tall mural stands at the entrance to the Molineux Subway and features four iconic figures from Wolves’ history - Billy Wright, John Richards, Steve Bull and Jimenez.

But within hours, the tribute had been targeted, with the blue paint obscuring part of the artwork.

The mural was commissioned by UK bookmaker Midnite, Wolves’ principal partner and front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2026/27 season, to mark the club’s 150th anniversary.

It was created by artist Joe Miles, who was also behind the mural of former Wolves forward Diogo Jota at the Leaping Wolf pub in Wolverhampton.