Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are expanding their football portfolio after falling in love with Wrexham.
he Hollywood duo had purchased a minority stake in Club Necaxa, as reported by Variety, a Mexican football club that competes in the country's top division. Reynolds and McElhenney will be joining Hollywood star Eva Longoria as part of the team's star-studded investment group, though no party has made formal announcements regarding how large a stake was bought.
Additionally, Houston Astros star pitcher Justin Verlander and his wife, model Kate Upton, and NFL superstar Odell Beckham Jr. are all minority owners of the Mexican club.
With the Wrexham co-owners now in the fold, Club Necaxa could experience growth both on and off the pitch. For starters, the addition of the "Deadpool" star and the "Always Sunny in Philadelphia" producer could help the Mexican side sign even more marquee players. The same could be said for Wrexham as well, as the Welsh side continues its climb back towards the higher leagues.
Wrexham recently sealed their place in League One, the club's second consecutive promotion, returning for the first time in 19 years, after spending 15 years in the National League.
With the club set to face off against even more difficult competition, Wrexham could do with further reinforcements as Reynolds and McElhenney make good on their promise to revitalize the club after years of floundering.
With their stake in Club Necaxa, the Hollywood power duo could, in essence, bring some players from Mexico to play for Wrexham and vice versa. While it remains to be seen if this move is something Reynolds and McElhenney considered when obtaining a stake in the club, it could be an option.
Off the pitch, Longoria bringing in the star-studded duo could help increase the Mexican club's standing among the general population. As was seen with Wrexham, having Reynolds and McElhenney helped increase the Welsh club's notoriety, with fans from all over the world flocking to the city as a result.
Intriguingly, Liga MX is the most-watched football league in the United States, ahead of MLS, La Liga, and the Premier League. That said, the league's commercial rights are sold on a team-by-team basis, meaning teams like Chivas and Club America tend to have more money than their competitors because of the television deals the teams land.
Club Necaxa was initially valued in the low nine figures in 2021 when Al Tylis and Sam Porter bought roughly a 50 percent stake in the franchise from the Tinajero family. After more investors showed interest in the club, it became valued at over $200 million.
There has been no word yet if there will be a series centered around the Mexican club. Once Reynolds and McElhenney finalized their takeover of Wrexham, a documentary "Welcome to Wrexham" was created, which led to the club's popularity growing exponentially.
Still, now that Reynolds and McElhenney are in the fold, it could take away viewership from their original documentary, if the two were to create one in the same vein as their recent success. For now, the Hollywood star duo are adding to their football portfolio with no end in sight.
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