WREXHAM, UNITED KINGDOM:
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 on Sunday.
“Genuinely speaking it has been the greatest experience of my entire life,” Reynolds told the BBC on Sunday.
“This adventure has been unlike anything else. I love it because it’s a project that’s going to be multi-decades.
“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.
“In Canada, where I am from, people are obsessed with this club. It’s been pretty remarkable. 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.”
Wrexham, in Wales, have been on an upwards trajectory ever since the nigh-profile takeover, reaching the National League play-offs last season and finishing as FA Trophy runners-up.
This weekend’s FA Cup tie is a break from Wrexham’s main goal of winning promotion back to the fourth tier after a 15-year absence.
Phil Parkinson’s side sit top of the fifth-tier National League, level on points with Notts County.
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.
“When @RMcElhenney and I got into this it all felt so impossible,” Reynolds tweeted after the dramatic match.
“But impossible is @Wrexham_AFC ‘s favourite colour. That was one of the most exciting things I’ve EVER seen. Thank you each and every Wrexham supporter who came out and aimed your heart at that pitch tonight.”
