Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney could have new rivals as £120m Welsh icon eyes takeover to compete with Wrexham

Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are arguably the most well-known owners in the English Football League, and arguably some of the most well-known in the world of football today.

 

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have put Wrexham on the map. The Hollywood actors completed their Wrexham takeover in 2021 and have since completely changed the fortunes of the previously struggling Welsh club.

Thanks to Phil Parkinson’s magic on the pitch, and the commercial and marketing skills of Reynolds and McElhenney, with their Welcome to Wrexham series having thrust the club and its players to stardom, Wrexham is now a household name.

 

The club has even become a popular one to support in the States. It’s thought that more than 5,000 US households have a subscription to watch Wrexham, and it looks like the club’s journey under Reynolds and McElhenney has only just begun.

 

Though there could soon be a new big-time owner in town soon. He’s not a Hollywood actor like Reynolds or McElhenney, but a former footballer, and one very popular in Wales.

Gareth Bale part of a consortium trying to buy Wrexham rivals Cardiff City

Welsh legend and former Spurs and Real Madrid hero Gareth Bale retired from playing in 2023. But he could soon be back in the game, now as a part-owner of his hometown team Cardiff City who’ve just been relegated to League One, after a long period of financial uncertainty behind the scenes in the Welsh capital.

 

Speaking to Sky News, the 35-year-old Bale confirmed that he’s now part of a consortium looking into the possibility of buying ‘a controlling interest’ in Cardiff City, though an initial approach to do so was knocked back by long-term owner Vincent Tan.

 

Bale, who reportedly has a net worth of £120million, explained: “[Cardiff] is a club close to my heart. It’s where I grew up and I would love to be able to be a part of growing Cardiff and taking it to the Premier League where it belongs. I know how amazing the Welsh fans and Cardiff fans are. It would be amazing to try and do something together.

Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds prior to Wrexham v Boreham Wood – Vanarama National League.

The other famous sportsmen and celebrities in English football

Reynolds and McElhenney certainly seem to have kickstarted a bit of a trend of famous faces getting involved at football clubs, with actors and superstars of other sports having flocked to England in recent years, and mainly to the Championship.

 

Back in April, Luka Modric became a co-owner at Swansea City, as well as an investor, whilst NFL legend Tom Brady is a minority owner at Birmingham City.

Elsewhere, actor Will Ferrell has a minority stake in Leeds United, who also boast NBA veteran Larry Nance Jr. as part of their ownership structure. Then there’s former NFL star J.J. Watt who’s an investor at Burnley.

 

Bale though would be an exciting addition to the list of Football League owners and investors. He’d certainly bring a degree of emotion and personality to the club, which could really do with something to cheer about.

 

Though it looks like it’ll be a very long time before any such owners replicate the wonders that Reynolds and McElhenney have achieved at the Racecourse with Wrexham.