Why Rob McElhenney turned Ryan Reynolds from ‘sponsor’ to co-owner at Wrexham - with initial takeover plan being ripped up

WHAT HAPPENED?

A stunning takeover at SToK Racecourse was completed by a couple of Hollywood superstars in 2021. A remarkable journey has been enjoyed over the last four years, with a historic run of three successive promotions lifting the Red Dragons into the Championship.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Dreams of reaching the Premier League continue to form, with McElhenney and Reynolds helping to make that possible. They have funded ambitious projects on and off the field, with the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series becoming Emmy Award-winning.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Things could, however, have been very different. McElhenney’s initial plan, having decided to acquire a football club, was to head out on his own with extra funds being provided by some famous “sponsors”.

WHAT MCELHENNEY SAID

Reynolds eventually came in by his side, with McElhenney telling The Dan Patrick Show: “I went back and I found the original email that I sent to him where I laid out the idea and what I wanted to do. And originally I was going to do it on my own and ask Ryan if he wanted to be a sponsor.

“The more I thought about it, the more I realised: ‘Wow, he’s such an entrepreneur. He’s globally famous. Whatever he touches seems to turn to gold. If I could potentially include him as a partner, that could take this thing to the stratosphere’.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Wrexham have enjoyed a meteoric rise, giving their loyal fan base plenty to cheer. McElhenney and Reynolds bought the club for £2 million, with the Red Dragons now potentially worth £300m ($405m) - with the door being left open for billionaire investors to come on board.