In September 2020, it was revealed that two ‘extremely well-known individuals of high net worth’ were seriously interested in purchasing Wrexham football club.
When it was soon after announced who those individuals were, it sent social media into the mother of all meltdowns.
People were highly sceptical, believing the news to be some sort of elaborate hoax. Others took it at face value but hopelessly struggled to make sense of it.
After all, why on earth would Hollywood A-lister Ryan Reynolds, and the creator and star of the cult comedy show It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Rob McElhenney be interested in a fifth-tier Welsh outfit that was steeped in history but that aside had very little going for it?
These same doubts were shared by the Wrexham Supporters’ Trust, a group that had taken on governance of the club after previous owners had taken it to the brink of extinction, and they took some persuading that Reynolds and McElhenney’s intentions were sincere.
Once they were convinced however, the wheels turned quickly, which meant that in November 2020, RR McReynolds LLC bought Wrexham lock, stock and barrel for £2m. And one of the strangest stories in world football for many a year had officially begun.
Ever since, the Dragons have roared on the pitch, fired up by heavy investment, or at least heavy investment by non-league standards.
Last May, Wrexham gained promotion for the National League and propelled by momentum, ambition and money what’s the betting they will be featuring in our Premier League odds in the not-too-distant future?
Off the pitch meanwhile, Reynolds and McElhenney have been praised for the extensive community work they have cultivated, additionally donating to local charitable causes from their own pockets.
And it does not diminish their generosity one iota to point out that their pockets are deep indeed, with McElhenney reputedly worth in the region of $50m.
Having grown It’s Always Sunny into an immensely popular, bankable success from very humble beginnings, he is also the co-founder of a flourishing entertainment/tech company named Adim.
His considerable fortune though is a drop in the ocean compared to his business partner and friend Reynolds.
“I had TV money,” McElhenney has said, on approaching the Deadpool star and suggesting they buy a football club together. “But I needed movie money.”
Having appeared in a wealth of hit films – and been well renumerated for doing so – Reynolds also sold his ownership stake in Aviation Gin three years ago for a whopping $650m.
All of which means the pair can comfortably afford to bankroll Wrexham all the way to the highest echelons of the game but of course, given the nature of the sport, this isn’t even necessary.
In their first season as owners, every move and utterance they made was filmed for a Disney+ documentary entitled Welcome To Wrexham. It’s said to have earnt the club upwards of £4m.
Reynolds and McElhenney’s star power meanwhile has ensured that a lower-league side are sponsored by TikTok while other lucrative commercial partnerships abound, including a link-up with Expedia.
Back in 2020, with the world in lockdown, a television star replied to a flattering DM sent by a film star with an unusual offer. Where the story takes us next is anyone’s guess.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
