Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively get married (Image: Aeon, GC Imagesvia Getty Images)
Hollywood superstar Ryan Reynolds is set to reap another big financial windfall, this time through football. It means Wrexham’s fairytale rise means they are now within touching distance of playing in the Premier League.
The Wales team, co-owned by Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, enter the final day of the Championship season in sixth place, knowing a win could earn them a coveted play-off spot. Wrexham are level on points with Hull City, just one point behind Derby County and have no room for error as they host Middlesbrough, who have already qualified for the play-offs. And with that comes some impressive financial incentives.
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A £100m jackpot is within reach
If Wrexham achieve promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, they will receive at least £100m worth of financial benefits in the first year alone. This figure is largely driven by the Premier League’s worldwide broadcast deal, with each club receiving a large central fee just for competing in that division.
The total promotion value over three years, including parachute payments upon relegation, is estimated at more than £170 million, with commercial income, sponsorship and international exposure increasing that figure. For Reynolds and McElhenny, it would be an incredible return on their investment and the next chapter in one of football’s greatest stories.
The Hollywood duo have seen incredible growth since acquiring Wrexham for just £2 million in 2021. Three successive promotions have seen the club move from non-league football to the Championship and are now on the brink of reaching the Premier League after just five seasons. The club’s valuation is reportedly currently around £350m, but has increased significantly due to its success on the pitch and the global exposure it received through the documentary series Welcome to Wrexham.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds set to achieve something special at Wrexham (Image: Kya Banasko, Getty Images)
amazing net worth
Reynolds is estimated to be worth around $400 million (£295 million), cementing his status as one of Hollywood’s top earners. According to Forbes, the Canadian actor will be the second-highest paid star in 2024, earning around £79 million, behind only Dwayne Johnson on the richest list. Much of that revenue comes from box office hits Deadpool and Wolverine, as well as big projects like the family film If and the Emmy-winning documentary series Welcome to Wrexham.
Reynolds also increased his wealth through shrewd business ventures. He held a 20% stake in Aviation Gin until it was sold in a $600m (£443m) deal in 2020. A further setback followed, with the company selling a majority stake in Mint Mobile to T-Mobile as part of a $1.35bn (£997m) deal in 2023 for a profit of more than $300m (£220m).
Away from Hollywood, Mr Reynolds has injected significant cash into Wrexham AFC, with him and co-owner Rob McElhenny believed to have invested more than £20m since the takeover in 2020. But this journey is not without its price. In a 2023 episode of Welcome to Wrexham, the pair revealed losses of around $12 million, with Reynolds joking that he was “going to throw up”.
Most recently, the club received a major capital injection of nearly £50m following investment from Apollo Sports Capital, after the Allyn family bought a roughly 15% stake in 2024. Bought for just £2m five years ago, Wrexham’s valuation is now reported to have soared to around £350m.
Ryan Reynolds and ex-wife Scarlett Johansson (Image: Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
Life with a famous wife after Hollywood divorce
Reynolds married Gossip Girl star Blake Lively in 2012, and the couple first crossed paths while filming Green Lantern. Their romance quickly attracted public attention, and the pair became one of Hollywood’s most high-profile couples, exchanging vows in a private ceremony in South Carolina before welcoming their four children, James, Inez, Betty, and Orin.
Lively is regularly seen cheering on Wrexham AFC at racecourse grounds in north Wales, and posted an emotional message after the club’s promotion to the Championship last year. “Back to back back to back,” she wrote on Instagram. “History has been made. Congratulations @wrexham_afc. I’ll never forget the love and elation in that town today. Thank you for always sharing.
“And to these two, @robmcelhenney and @vancityreynolds…the love and respect that pours out from you will grow exponentially together, creating more joy, more possibilities, more magic, more history. This photo feels to me like a painting of all you are doing for so many people, being here right now and appreciating every moment.”
Prior to dating Lively, Reynolds enjoyed a string of high-profile romances. He became engaged to Canadian Alanis Morissette, whom he met in 2002, but they broke up in 2007. Before marrying Scarlett Johansson in 2008, he had romantic relationships with celebrities including Sandra Bullock, Melissa Joan Hart and Charlize Theron.
Their marriage ended in 2010, and both men blamed their grueling work schedules and little time together for their breakup. “We work and then go home,” Johansson later admitted. “I stared at the wall for several hours before going to bed.”
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds barely knew each other before trying out soccer (Image: Karl Lesseen, Getty Images)
How did Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney meet?
Although the pair have overseen one of football’s most extraordinary success stories, Reynolds and McElhenny barely knew each other when they first embarked on the Wrexham takeover, exchanging only a few messages online.
In fact, this idea did not originate with Reynolds. It was McElhenny who promoted the move after teaming up with British author and football enthusiast Humphrey Kerr and introducing him to the possibility of owning a club. Although not initially a football fan, McElhenney was intrigued by Kerr’s passion for Liverpool FC and was encouraged to watch the Netflix documentary ‘Sunderland ‘Till I Die’ during the coronavirus lockdown.
The series marked a pivotal moment, sparking the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star’s desire to pursue club ownership and even document the experience himself. After setting the budget, Kerr helped identify suitable clubs, with Wrexham standing out as a potentially interesting club thanks to its rich history, loyal fan base and need for new investment post-pandemic.
Mr. McElhenney then reached out to Mr. Reynolds, with whom he had previously communicated online, to secure both financial support and celebrity appeal for the venture. Reynolds embraced the concept, choosing to not only invest but join McElhenney as a full co-owner. The pair completed their £2 million takeover in November 2020, and although they did not meet in person until April 2021, they have since developed a strong friendship.
McElhenney later told People that Reynolds is now one of her closest friends, describing him as a “kind and generous soul” and someone she could always rely on. She added: “Our families have become incredibly close and even though we live on opposite coasts, we feel like we’re right next to each other.”
