Wrexham in dreamland! Welsh side’s A-list owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney weep tears of joy as team is PROMOTED to the football league in Hollywood happy ending to the season – after Ant-Man’s Paul Rudd joined 10,000 fans screaming them to 3-1 win
- Wrexham have managed to get back into the Football League after 15 long years
- Hollywood star Paul Rudd made an appearance in support of his pal Reynolds
- Read SportMail’s LIVE BLOG HERE to get the latest updates on the crunch match
Wrexham fans are in dreamland as the Welsh football club owned by A-list stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been promoted to the Football League for the first time in 15 years.
In a Hollywood happy ending to the season, Wrexham FC were cheered on by 10,000 fans as well as celebrity guest and pal of Reynolds Paul Rudd, who celebrated a dramatic 3-1 win against Boreham Wood.
The American actor, 54, had been spotted drinking beer and joining in on chants at the Turf Hotel pub in north Wales ahead of the crunch match on Saturday night which, despite being in the humble National League, had a global following thanks to its Hollywood owners.
Fans stormed the pitch after the final whistle blew, and as cameras turned to the co-owners, Reynolds and McElhenney appeared to shed a tear as they took in the incredible scene of Wrexham FC celebrating the monumental victory.
Wrexham needed the win to secure promotion to the Football League with one game to go – and their fans were roaring them all the way from the moment it kicked off at 6.30pm.
But the north Wales team were 1-0 down when a goal from their opponents came silenced the stands 40 seconds in. They were not behind for long thought, with Elliot Lee bringing it back to 1-1 at 14 mins.
In the second half, super scorer Paul Mullin a second AND third goal – a brilliant goal into the top right corner – putting them in the best position possible for a win and a promotion.
Hollywood ending! Wrexham fans are in dreamland as the Welsh football club owned by A-list stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been promoted to the Football League
Congratulations! Wrexham FC players lift the Vanarama National League Trophy as they celebrate promotion back to the English Football League 15 years after being demoted
Wild: Wrexham’s fans celebrate on the pitch after the English National League football match between Wrexham and Boreham Wood at the Racecourse Ground Stadium in Wrexham
And another TWO! And in the second half, fans went wild as Paul Mullin (pictured celebrating centre) scored a second AND third goal in the top right corner, putting them in the best position possible for a win and a promotion
Go Wrexham! Co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are pictured with board advisor Shaun Harvey – with Paul Rudd peeking through behind
Dream team: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney celebrate one of the three goals scored on Saturday night securing them a promotion to the Football League
Goal! Elliot Lee of Wrexham celebrates after scoring the team’s first goal during the Vanarama National League match between Wrexham and Boreham Wood
A royal congratulations! Even the Prince of Wales took the opportunity to congratulate the team for the huge win on Saturday night
Success! Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds proudly hold the Vanarama League Trophy in Wrexham as fans celebrate getting back to the English Football League
Celebrate! Fans stormed the pitch after the final whistle blew, and as cameras turned to the co-owners, Reynolds and McElhenney appeared to shed a tear as they took in the incredible scene of Wrexham FC celebrating the monumental victory
Yes! Wrexham fans on the pitch celebrating promotion to the EFL following the Vanarama National League match
Embrace: Wrexham Football Club co owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney embrace at full time as Wrexham win the league and are promoted to the English Football League
Emotional: Rob McElhenney becomes overwhelmed with emotion as he witnesses the celebrations after the monumental win
Big win: Rob and Ryan can’t believe their eyes as they watch on while fans celebrate Wrexham’s win
Scenes: The fans of Wrexham FC proudly celebrate the big win on the pitch of the Racecourse Ground Stadium
Big night in Wrexham: Fans storm the pitch after being promoted to the Football League from their 3-1 win against Boreham Wood
Backed by Hollywood pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, Wrexham have proven an enormous hit with fans in the United States, so much so that for many, the fandom has now become a daily way of life.
Even the Prince of Wales took the opportunity to congratulate the team for the huge win on Saturday night.
Taking to Twitter, Prince William wrote: ‘Congratulations @Wrexham_AFC! A club with such amazing history, looking forward to a very exciting future back in the Football League. Doing Wales proud. W.’
Following the match just as his team was about to lift the Vanarama National League Trophy, Ryan Reynolds told BT Sport: ‘I am not sure I can process what happened tonight. I am still little speechless.
‘[People ask] “Why Wrexham?”. This is why Wrexham. This happening, right now, is why.
‘Boreham Wood showed up today. They are an incredible team. They have one of the best defences in the entire league.
‘This entire story, the reason we are all on edge of our seats is because Notts County are so damn good. They deserve to go up. We are rooting for Notts County. We want to see them go up.’
Reynolds and McElhenney seemingly have become soccer fanatics since completing their out-of-nowhere purchase of the Welsh club for $2.5 million in 2021.
An offshoot of the takeover was the making of a fly-on-the-wall documentary – entitled ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ – that has charted the journey of a historic but down-on-its-luck soccer team run by two actors learning the ropes of sports club ownership.
The second season of the show will have a happy ending, with Wrexham heading back into the English Football League – the three divisions below the Premier League – for the first time in 15 years.
Wrexham is four points clear of second-placed Notts County with one round of games left, so is guaranteed the sole automatic promotion spot to League Two.
Unbelievable: Co-owners Ryan and Rob look at each other with immense proudness as they witness the promotion in front of them
Disbelief: The American co-owners can’t believe their eyes as they take in the celebrations after the final whistle
Double goal-scorer: Paul Mullin of Wrexham lifts the Vanarama National League Trophy as Wrexham celebrate promotion back to the English Football League
Huge occasion: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney pose for a picture with manager of Wrexham FC Phil Parkinson with the Vanarama League Trophy
Big night: Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson celebrates promotion to the EFL amongst thousands of fans who stormed the pitch
Celebrations: The Wrexham Football Club players jump with joy after their huge win at their home grounds on Saturday night
Talking tactics: Hollywood stars Reynolds and Rudd look deep in thought as they talk ahead of the kick-off
Bright future: Reynolds and McElhenney seemingly have become soccer fanatics since completing their out-of-nowhere purchase of the Welsh club for $2.5 million in 2021
Kisses: An offshoot of the takeover was the making of a fly-on-the-wall documentary – entitled ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ – that has charted the journey of a historic but down-on-its-luck soccer team run by two actors learning the ropes of sports club ownership
Unreal: Kitted in their Wrexham team gear, the co-owners kiss the Vanarama National League Trophy after the huge win
Among the spectators at the Racecourse was Paul Rudd, another Hollywood actor who was spotted drinking a beer with locals, and watched the game in the directors’ box with Reynolds and McElhenney, who was reduced to tears at the final whistle.
READ MORE: Paul Mullin fires the Welsh club back into the Football League for the first time in 15 YEARS
Paul Mullin took Wrexham FC to promotion after scoring twice against Boreham Wood
Reynolds is best known for starring in the ‘Deadpool’ movies, while McElhenney is the creator of TV show ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.’ One of their stated aims when buying Wrexham from the club’s fans was to lead the 158-year-old club – the world’s third oldest professional club – to the Premier League and the journey is well underway.
It is Wrexham’s first league title at any level since the old Division Three – then the third tier in the English game – in 1977 and the team has done it in style, collecting a record 110 points so far and winning 34 of its 45 games.
And, as has so often been the case with the club, the win was achieved the hard way after falling behind inside 44 seconds.
Wrexham equalized in the 15th minute then Paul Mullin, the team’s star striker, earned victory with two superbly taken goals in the second half.
With the title in the bag, Wrexham fans lapped up the final few minutes of the match that ended more than a decade of hurt. The club fell on such hard times since the turn of the century that its supporters’ trust twice had to save the team from going out of business.
Since their unlikely takeover, Reynolds (21 million) and McElhenney (1 million) have used their large Twitter followings to promote the club and brought in sponsors such as TikTok, Aviation Gin and Expedia, global brands that typically have no place at this level of the game.
The actors are also living up to the promises they made when taking over, like making improvements to the stadium and investing heavily in the women’s team. They brought in board members and advisers with experience of top-level soccer and who have made good, sensible decisions.
The industrial town of about 65,000 people, located near the northwest English border and close to the soccer hotbeds of Liverpool and Manchester, has been abuzz with excitement for the past two years.
Win: Fans celebrate their beloved Wrexham FC being promoted to the Football League after 15 long years
Electric: The atmosphere in the Racecourse Ground Stadium really lifted off when fans stormed the pitch
Winners: The co-owners proudly held onto the trophy after winning the National League at a home game against Boreham Wood
Co-owners: McElhenney and Reynolds looked at each other in disbelief as they held the trophy after their team took it home
Big night for the boys! Wrexham FC players cheer in delight after winning the Vanarama National League match against Boreham Wood
Last season, Wrexham lost in the playoffs to miss out on promotion but made no mistake a year later to get out of the non-leagues, where some teams are semi-professional.
Wrexham finished the game to a backdrop of fans joyously singing ‘We are going up’ – with Reynolds and McElhenney joining in.
Ahead of the incredible game on Saturday night, Rudd looked like he fit right in with the Wrexham fans who all looked in good spirits, as he enjoyed a few beers from plastic cups while singing along to the football chants.
Plenty of fans stopped the Hollywood A-lister for a selfie, and his arrival even caused ‘Paul Rudd’ to trend on Twitter.
He has been in London in recent days shooting for Ghostbusters: Afterlife alongside co-cast members William Atherton and Ernie Hudson.
They were seen stepping out on the streets outside St James’ Park Tube Station to film scenes for the follow-up to the 2021 movie, alongside an iconic prop car to go with the shoot.
Wrexham have ended 15-year wait to win promotion from non-league, and they are preparing for a US tour this summer, where they will face Manchester United, and also have season two of Welcome to Wrexham to follow later in the year as they look to capture the hearts and minds of even more in America.
Sat in San Diego last month to announce the blockbuster friendly against Manchester United, McElhenney is convinced Wrexham can become America’s team in the coming years.
‘We said from day one we want to grow the exposure of the club and make it a global enterprise,’ McElhenney said.
Fancy seeing you here! Paul Rudd has arrived in Wrexham to support pal Ryan Reynolds’ football team as fans hold their hopes for promotion to the Football League
Having a few: Non-league Wrexham are one win away from winning promotion to the Football League – and there will be millions more than the 10,000 in attendance in North Wales this weekend roaring them on for a 6.30pm kick off
Selfie: Backed by Hollywood pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney , Wrexham have proven an enormous hit with fans in the United States, so much so that for many, the fandom has now become a daily way of life
Supporter: The American actor 54, has been spotted drinking beer and joining in on chants at Kentucky at the Turf pub in north Wales ahead of Wrexham FC’s crunch match against Borehamwood
Getting into the swing of things: Rudd looked like he fit right in with the Wrexham fans who all looked in good spirits, as he enjoyed a few beers while singing along to the football chants
Crowds: The Turf Pub in Wrexham was rammed full of fans and Rudd’s appearance made the atmosphere even more rowdy
Comeback! Wrexham got off to a disappointing start, with Boreham Wood scoring in the first minute of the game. But at 15 minutes, Wrexham brought it back with a goal from Elliot Lee
Golden boy: Paul Mullin of Wrexham kisses his Vanarama National League winners medal during the Vanarama National League match between Wrexham and Boreham Wood
Cheers! Plenty of fans stopped the Hollywood A-lister for a selfie, and his arrival even caused ‘Paul Rudd’ to trend on Twitter
Welcome: He has been in London in recent days shooting for Ghostbusters: Afterlife alongside co-cast members William Atherton and Ernie Hudson
Team talk: Paul chatted to Wrexham fans in the local pub ahead of the 6.30pm kick off
Ready to go: Wrexham owner Ryan Reynolds waves to fans ahead of the English National League football match between Wrexham and Boreham Wood at the Racecourse Ground Stadium in Wrexham, north Wales, on Saturday
Excited: Reynolds gets into the spirit of things as he throws a signed shirt down to the fans ahead of the crunch match
Fans: The Hollywood star was naturally stopped for pictures and looked pleased to do so while clasping a beer for the occasion
‘We have been really fortunate that Americans seem to have taken to the documentary and they fell in love with the town.’
Wrexham’s players will now also share bonuses of £200,000 after securing a promotion to League Two having chosen to forgo win bonuses during the season.
On Friday Mail Sport learned that Phil Parkinson’s squad backed themselves to gain promotion at the start of the season by agreeing that they would only receive win bonuses if they were in the top three throughout the campaign, in return for getting a bigger pay-out if they achieved their ultimate goal.
The players’ negotiations with Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were led by captain Ben Tozer, whose faith in his team-mates appears set to pay off.
Wrexham are the highest payers in the National League, where the average weekly wage is around £1000, but a promotion bonus of around £20,000-per-man will still represent a major boost to the players.
The club will also secure an immediate financial windfall from promotion, which is worth around £1million in central revenue distribution payments from the EFL, as well as benefitting from the increased global profile of league football.
Paul Mullin, who scored two of the three goals in Saturday’s match, dropped down as the then-top scorer of League Two to National League just to join Wrexham.
There has been wild speculation on the money it has taken to bring him to Wales and in the two new episodes of the documentary produced by owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney that are released this week, it is Mullin who takes centre stage.
He is introduced to viewers to the tune of Shane McMahon’s ‘Show me the Money’ but for Mullin – who says he still hasn’t sat down to watch the first couple of episodes – the talk around his wages is tiresome and ‘irrelevant to life’.
‘I don’t understand why people care,’ he told Sportsmail.
‘I don’t go home and ask my mates who are joiners, ‘how much are you getting?’ It’s completely irrelevant to life.
‘It’s none of their business, no-one really gives one. For me I just go and play football and enjoy it and I don’t really let that affect me. I just wanted to be with my family and Wrexham was the place for me.
Win! Rob and Ryan soak up the electric atmosphere in Wrexham’s home grounds after their huge win on Saturday night
Happy days: Paul was soaking up the atmosphere before heading into the Wrexham grounds
Nerves: Reynolds, who on Friday said he was ‘nervous’ for the match on Saturday, is pictured at the Racecourse Ground ahead of the game
Getting ready: Wrexham co-owner Reynolds (left) and Paul Rudd watch on at the match about to begin on Saturday evening
Dreamland! Paul Mullin and his teammates celebrate following his second goal of the match, putting them 3-1 up against Boreham Wood
In good spirits: Paul, dressed in an all-black ensemble including a baseball hat, looked in good spirits as he watched the Wrexham – Boreham Wood match
Pals: Paul looked engrossed in the game as co-owner Ryan Reynolds passionately explained something to him
Moral support: Paul Rudd, who has been in the UK in recent days for a film shoot, came to support his pal Ryan Reynolds for the match in north Wales
Looking on: Paul Rudd is pictured alongside the co-owners of Wrexham from the special box
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