Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney buy stake in new football club to join Wrexham empire
30/04/2024 18:26
Wrexham AFC’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have bought a stake in Mexican club Club Necaxa to grow their football empire.
Reynolds and McElhenney took control of Wrexham in 2021 and the club have been widely followed across the globe ever since, especially in the United States.
Interest has only grown with Reynolds and McElhenney’s critically-acclaimed documentary, Welcome to Wrexham, which follows the club on and off the pitch.
The Welsh side were playing in the fifth-tier National League when Reynolds and McElhenney arrived and they have already clinched back-to-back promotions.
Wrexham will be playing League One football next season in the third tier of English football, just two steps below the promised land of the Premier League.
Mark Howard, a goalkeeper for Wrexham, recently hailed Reynolds and McElhenney and explained how he got to meet Will Ferrell and Hugh Jackman.
Wrexham is no longer the only club Reynolds and McElhenney have invested in, though, amid news the American duo now have a minority stake in Club Necaxa.
Who are Club Necaxa?
Impulsora del Deportivo Necaxa S.A. de C.V., also known as Club Necaxa or simply just Necaxa, are a 100-year-old football club from Aguascalientes.
Los Rayos (The Lightning in English) were founded back in 1923 by a Scotsman – William H. Fraser – and they play in red and white shirts.
Club Necaxa’s 23,000-capacity stadium is called Estadio Victoria and their biggest rivals are Atlante Fútbol Club, based in Mexico City.
Club Necaxa have been champions of Mexico on three occasions, most recently in 1998.
The two actors, who gained fame for their performances in Deadpool and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia respectively, are the latest celebrities to invest in the Liga MX side.
NFL superstar Odell Beckham Jr, Houston Astros’ Justin Verlande, model Kate Upton and actor Eva Longoria are already among Club Necaxa’s minority owners.
It is not exactly clear what type of role the RR McReynolds Company will have at Club Necaxa but they are likely to try and boost the commercial side of things.
That’s exactly what Reynolds and McElhenney did at Wrexham – transforming the non-league club into a worldwide brand – and they may look to produce another series similar to Welcome to Wrexham.
Despite the Premier League becoming the most-watched football league in the USA, Mexico's top-flight Liga MX still pulls in huge TV audiences across the nation.
Club Necaxa sold a 50 per cent stake to a group led by Al Tylis and Sam Porter in 2021 – and one year later – other investors joined for a stake worth more than $200m (£160m). Reynolds and McElhenney have joined the latter group.
