Wales attracts many tourists each year, but few are as famous as Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – and even fewer like it so much they decide to buy one of its football clubs.
And yet that’s the strange position Wrexham A.F.C. finds itself in. Fans of the club were quick to express their shock on Twitter, and the move is making waves far beyond their traditional stomping ground.
Mac buying Wrexham makes me want to become a Wrexham fan pic.twitter.com/1WoV2ahF9H
— Jonny Owen (@JonnyOwen12) September 23, 2020
There’s no doubt Wrexham, which is the oldest Welsh football club and the third oldest in the world, will do well from the deal. On top of the £2 million investment the celebrity pair have promised, their star power should bring the club visibility its rivals could only dream of.
Based on Ryan Reynolds’ history as an investor the club should be in very safe hands. The actor and investor recently sold his drinks business, Aviation Gin, for over $600 million, after overseeing the brand’s sales double last year.
Many aren’t excited about the acquisition based on the duo’s business sense, however. It’s not very often that Welsh market towns get much attention from the wider world, and especially not from internationally-famous celebrities. As a result, even Welsh people who couldn’t care less about football are getting excited by the overseas interest, even if no-one can really work out how exactly it’s happened.
An Unlikely Origin
The acquisition might not have been a total surprise to everyone, however. An eight-year-old tweet chain by two Wrexham College students has resurfaced discussing Ryan coming to Wrexham, which suddenly looks eerily prescient. The tweets have been blowing up online, even getting their own BBC News article.
What initially seemed to be a fluke joke-turned prediction by Wrexham native Lois has been pounced on by internet sleuths. Is this proof of some long-standing secret conspiracy involving Hollywood A-listers and a smallish Welsh town? Probably not, but notorious Twitter troll Ryan Reynolds isn’t exactly helping matters.
I’ve waited 8 years to respond to this tweet.
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) September 23, 2020
While it might be too soon to call Wales the new celebrity hotspot, a boy can dream. We hosted Sex Education, after all.
