How much did Wrexham takeover cost Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney?

You don’t need to be a fan of non-league soccer in England, or an avid follower of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ and the Deadpool franchise, to be aware that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been embarking on an ambitious adventure in the UK.

The two stars of the small and silver screen have decided that they should be dipping a little more than a toe into the world of sports ownership.

Back in February 2021, Reynolds and McElhenney took the rather surprising decision to acquire Wrexham Football Club – a sleeping giant in North Wales, just waiting in the hopes that somebody would come along and wake it from a 15-year slumber.

Crown

We’re only getting started! 💪

— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC)

A step up into the English Football League was taken in record-breaking style last season, with Wrexham storming to title glory. Their exploits have attracted interest from Zambia to Zanzibar, with outright sport betting markets pricing the Dragons at -133 to roar their way to another promotion in 2023-24 and +333 to capture back-to-back league crowns.

A documentary series offering a peak behind the scenes of life at the Racecourse Ground, with plenty of famous faces taking in cameo roles, has helped to further expand Wrexham’s reach to every corner of the globe.

It is easy to argue that a side that has spent well over a decade in the fifth tier of the British game now boasts a reputation in the world game to rival many of those that ply their trade on a Premier League stage.

Reynolds and McElhenney have made that possible as part of a project that started out on a bit of a whim. Executive director Humphrey Ker has said of how a takeover came about following a discussion with McElhenney: “He said ‘we should do this, we should buy a football team’. My response was like ‘hahaha, sounds cool, I’d love to do that one day’. He said, ‘no seriously, how much would it cost?’ So that’s what sort of got the ball rolling.”

The cost turned out to be roughly $2.5 million, with that looking like the soundest of investments. Success on the field, coupled with the rapid progress of it, is said to have seen Wrexham’s value soar to around the $10 million mark.

Hollywood

You can see something leave both of our bodies at the same time. And then we’re filled back up with an indescribable amount of joy and gratitude. — Rob McElhenney (@RMcElhenney)

That figure is only going to head in one direction, with ambitious plans being drawn up for the future. Eye-catching commercial deals have been put in place, including a stadium naming rights deal, and billion-dollar brands continue to grace the front of the club’s shirt.

The ultimate goal is to reach the Premier League, with Reynolds and McElhenney never shying away from the fact that they intend to be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea at some stage.

Given all that they have achieved so far, it would take a brave soul to bet against them hitting that target. If Wrexham were to become a top-flight club in the future, then its value will continue to rocket as a blockbuster ending is delivered to the most remarkable of Hollywood stories.