Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds has hailed his involvement with non-league side Wrexham as the “greatest experience” of his life after he jetted in to watch his team in the FA Cup.
Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney took over the National League side in 2020 and Reynolds spoke of his affection for the club ahead of their fourth-round match against Sheffield United at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham on Sunday.
“Genuinely speaking it has been the greatest experience of my entire life,” Reynolds told the BBC. “This adventure has been unlike anything else. I love it because it’s a project that’s going to be multi-decades.”
Photo: AFP
“I met a supporter the other day whose grandfather’s ashes were scattered across the pitch. I look at this place as like a church,” he said.
“In Canada, where I am from, people are obsessed with this club. It’s been pretty remarkable,” Reynolds said. “We’ve sold something like 24,000 jerseys and so many of them went to North America. We can’t get them any more. I can’t get one.”
“The part I find most gratifying is the support from the community outside the club. The fact Wrexham have become a tourist destination for so many folks and they are showing up here. There is something special about this town,” he said.
Wrexham, in Wales, have been on an upward trajectory ever since the nigh-profile takeover, reaching the National League play-offs last season and finishing as FA Trophy runners-up.
Sunday’s game against second-tier Sheffield United ended in a 3-3 draw, with Wrexham denied a famous victory when the visitors scored deep into stoppage time.
Reynolds celebrated the Welsh club’s goals wildly, but they now face a replay.
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