Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confounded both the worlds of sports and entertainment in 2020 when they teamed up to buy the tiny Welsh soccer club Wrexham AFC. The team is one of the oldest in the United Kingdom, but suffered a long and slow decline to the point where it was in danger of vanishing completely.
But the two stars have successfully breathed new life into the team, telling their story in the excellent Welcome to Wrexham documentary series , and celebrating a richly deserved promotion into the EFL League Two after 15 years away.
Now, Wrexham is in the early stages of the Carabao Cup and has just squeaked out a victory on penalties against Wigan Athletic, putting them through to the second round. And for Reynolds, it sounds like a nerve-wracking match:
When Reynolds and McElhenney announced their purchase, more cynical onlookers argued they’d quickly get bored with the club and move on to other interests. To their credit, they’ve continued to promote and support the club as it moves into what’s sure to be a testing season in a higher division.
This is also meant that the obscure team now has legions of fans around the world following their progress, and could prove to be one of the all-time great sports fairytales if things continue to pan out. So here’s hoping for more Wrexham success on the pitch this season, as even with megastar backing, it’s the team’s performance that truly counts.