Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds said it felt like an “impossible dream” when fellow Hollywood A-lister Rob McElhenney first floated the idea of buying soccer club Wrexham, along with a pitch for a documentary. The ultimate goal was reaching the Premier League.
Four years after they purchased the north Wales outfit, Wrexham are one league away from achieving their lofty goal after a 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic on Saturday saw them promoted for a record third consecutive time.
“We were standing there doing a press conference four years ago, and said our goal is to make it to the Premier League, and there was understandably a lot of titters and laughter and giggles, but it starts to feel like a real, tangible thing that could actually come to fruition in this moment,” Reynolds, best known for his role as superhero character Deadpool, told Sky Sports after the game.
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The Red Dragons are to play in the Championship (second tier) league next season, something that was unthinkable four years ago when Wrexham were a non-league team going nowhere.
Asked about being just one league below England’s vaunted top-flight, McElhenney laughed.
“Well, that’s for tomorrow to think about,” he said. “Today is just enjoying the moment. We could probably wait until 12:01.”
Photo: Reuters
Wrexham’s popularity has skyrocketed on both sides of the Atlantic due to the North American owners and the Welcome to Wrexham documentary.
Reynolds, whose wife and fellow actor Blake Lively was also at Saturday’s game, told reporters earlier this week in New York that the stress was “like an eight-inch ulcer in my stomach.”
McElhenney had delivered a pre-game speech to the players before their key 2-1 victory over Blackpool on Monday, and then spent this past week in Wales with them.
The Racecourse Ground crowd showed their appreciation in the dying minutes of Saturday’s thriller, turning to applaud the two, who were both down on the celebratory pitch soon after the final whistle wrapping players in giant hugs.
“Ryan and I have the easiest job in the world, which is to show up and watch this incredible football team and this incredible story continue to unfold,” said McElhenney, an American best known for his role in the sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
The duo ended their interview with a mic drop, and then Reynolds comedically picked the microphones off the pitch and blew off the grass before handing them back.
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