WREXHAM, WALES - APRIL 22: Ryan Reynolds co-owner of Wrexham and Rob McElhenney co-owner of Wrexham with the Vanarama National League Trophy as Wrexham celebrate promotion back to the English Football League during the Vanarama National League match between Wrexham and Boreham Wood at Racecourse Ground on April 22, 2023 in Wrexham, Wales. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
The famous actor Ryan Reynolds has finally disclosed his “unbelievable” motivation for buying Wrexham.
Under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s management, Wrexham has seen an amazing ascent.
The Hollywood pair have brought happiness back to a depressed community and revitalized a football team that had been languishing in the National League for a very long time.
Following their relegation from League Two in 2008, Wrexham was forced to play its football for 15 years in the fifth division of English football.
In the present, the Reds are rejoicing at having received back-to-back promotions to the third division, a rank they previously held in 2005.
McElhenney and Reynolds deserve all the credit in the world for pumping serious amounts of cash into the club while making ambitious moves on and off the pitch.
However, the money side of the operation isn’t the main driver behind their ownership, with Reynolds revealing it’s down to another reason.
Many outsiders believe rich businessmen or celebrities purchase football clubs to make money on their investment, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Since Reynolds struck a £2 million deal to purchase Wrexham in November 2020, the 47-year-old has reportedly lost £10 million on his initial investment, as of November 2023.
It’s a staggering figure of money to lose in just over three years and demonstrates why he never purchased the Welsh side to accelerate his riches.
As per The Independent, Reynolds said: “History has an unbelievable amount of examples of how this was not the best idea, but we’re not in it to make money and goddamn it, we won’t.
“I think we recognize how lucky we are that we can be in this position where it isn’t about making money or any of those things. I mean, you have to be in a pretty privileged spot to be able to do this to begin with. But eventually, you know, as we climb up the leagues, we’re going to need outside help in order to sustain this club.
“One of our great mission statements and – this is something that is still a huge target – is to create a sustainable model for a sports club like this and allow it to support itself long after we’re dead and gone.”
Ryan Reynolds’ approach to Wrexham is brilliant
Reynolds has approached owning Wrexham in the best way possible.
He knew that while he was never going to make money from his initial investment, becoming engrossed in the club and improving the fortunes of the town was worth more than monetary value.
After all, if he was in it for the money, he wouldn’t have donated thousands of pounds to charities and been of huge help to the wider community.
These actions dispel any concerns that he’s owning the Reds for the money, as he’s shown it’s virtually impossible to profit from owning a football club in the modern era, especially one that was once rotting away in the National League.
This is why many people have become hooked on the Welcome to Wrexham series as it just doesn’t highlight their rise on the pitch, but the positive impact that Reynolds and McElhenney have had on the town itself.
