Wrexham Club promoted 3 levels in 3 years: Hard to believe 2 Hollywood owners don't know football

On April 27, Wrexham Football Club was officially promoted to the Championship, the top division of English football, just below the prestigious Premier League. It is hard to believe that the two owners of this team, Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, know nothing about football.

Buying Wrexham Club just because of love for the fans

The story of two Hollywood actors, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, buying Wrexham FC in November 2020, with their first reaction being very funny.

Two Hollywood bosses, Ryan Reynolds (right) and Rob McElhenney, bought Wrexham Football Club, but they once confessed they didn't know what football was.

Photo: Reuters

These two actors wanted to invest in a football club, but they had no idea what football was and where to start. So they decided to buy Wrexham Football Club in Wales, a true village football club, and only because they loved the fans there who were always loyal to the team, regardless of the team struggling in the lower divisions of English football year after year.

Wrexham Club, when owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, cost only $2.5 million and still plays in the semi-professional league, the 5th division of English football.

Although both are A-list actors in Hollywood and possess huge personal assets of up to hundreds of millions of USD, Ryan Reynolds, the actor famous for the hit Deadpool series, and Rob McElhenney, the famous comedian, are not people who just spend money to have fun.

They took steps to revive Wrexham FC in the most basic way, such as repairing the stadium roof to protect the fans from the rain/sun. Increasing the salaries of the club's staff to ensure long-term work, renovating the pitch and gradually upgrading the stadium to be more complete.

Ryan Reynolds is a favourite with Wrexham fans, thanks to his enthusiasm and close friend, Rob McElhenney.

Photo: Reuters

From small steps and investing in upgrading the squad step by step, these two Hollywood bosses also gave all the working rights to the coaches and did not interfere professionally. They only helped with the business side and the club's image to be closer to the public, to attract more sponsorship.

In 5 years, the growth of Wrexham Club has surprised English football. In the 2022-2023 season, they left the National League for the first time after 8 consecutive seasons there to be promoted to League Two (England's third tier). What's special is that after being promoted, few people believed they would stay, but then miracles always come.

Wrexham FC has played extremely well in the last 2 consecutive seasons, continuously promoted from League Two to League One (2nd division), then this season 2024 - 2025 promoted to the Championship with the 2nd direct slot after Birmingham City FC.

When buying Wrexham FC, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney said: "Our dream is to bring the team to play in the Premier League one day." Many people laughed at Ryan Reynolds' impossible dream, saying it was exactly like his silly lines in the hit movie Deadpool.

Knowing nothing about football, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are now enjoying consecutive promotions with Wrexham FC.

Photo: Reuters

But now, Wrexham FC is only one level away from the Premier League. Miracle, unbelievable and not understanding what is happening, is what people say about the strange story of 2 Hollywood actors investing in football without knowing anything about football.

However, it is clear that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have a very unique and extremely interesting way of doing things. They are sincere, approachable and always stand by the fans. One more thing, they take advantage of their outstanding talent, producing the documentary "Welcome to Wrexham" is enough to raise the level of the team, because along with that is the fairy tale of the team 3 years of promotion 3 divisions.

Journalist Joe Pompliano, sports analyst and investor, sums up the crazy and interesting story of Wrexham FC: "Buyed for $2.5 million. The two owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, don't know what football is, they just produced a documentary that went viral on the FX platform.

More than 3 million followers across social media platforms. Generated an annual revenue of $35 million. They have now been promoted for 3 consecutive seasons and are now one step away from the Premier League. With current revenue, Wrexham FC is no longer an underdog but a serious contender for the Championship in 2025-2026.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/clb-wrexham-3-nam-thang-3-hang-kho-tin-2-ong-chu-hollywood-khong-biet-bong-da-185250427090303345.htm