Wrexham 'could be bought by Cristiano Ronaldo' - and keep Ryan Reynolds involved
Global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been tipped to become involved in League One side Wrexham when he retires alongside Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney
Cristiano Ronaldo has been tipped to team up with Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney by buying into Wrexham. The two actors have enjoyed huge success with the League One outfit after achieving back-to-back promotions under manager Phil Parkinson in the last two seasons.
The Red Dragons are now on the cusp of going up to the Championship as they currently sit second in the third tier. Portuguese superstar Ronaldo, who plays for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, is gradually nearing the end of his career at the age of 40.
Despite insisting he has no intention of hanging up his boots just yet, former Premier League star Andy Townsend thinks Ronaldo should consider a move into football ownership when he does stop playing. And the ex-Republic of Ireland international believes Wrexham would be the perfect fit for Ronaldo, who has expressed an interest in trying his hand at acting when he's finished playing football.
"Cristiano Ronaldo could probably buy Wrexham and have Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as his drivers, if he wanted to," Townsend told BoyleSports. "But what an incredible story."
"They've given so much hope to people coming into football that potentially could buy clubs and could get involved in our game to show you what can happen. I would not be surprised to see Cristiano Ronaldo buy a club when he finishes playing.
"We have seen him invest in hotels and other things and he has plenty of interest in business. I could see him buying a football club, maybe in the Football League, because he loves the game and I think he’d back himself to run a club, I could really see that."
Wrexham recently posted an impressive set of financial results for the year ending June 2024, including an astonishing £26.7million turnover, largely due to the worldwide interest ignited by the owners. Having Ronaldo on board would likely accelerate that even further given his own global appeal.
Officials in North Wales have also attributed the staggering turnover, believed to be a record for a then-League Two team, to the publicity generated by the Welcome to Wrexham documentary. The series' popularity has allowed Wrexham to secure commercial partnerships with firms such as United Airlines and HP, resulting in a sharp increase in sponsorship revenue from £1.9m to £13.2m.
Reynolds and McElhenney have already welcomed new investors at Wrexham, with the owners of Mexican side Club Necaxa, including Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, holding a five per cent stake.
The New York-based Allyn family were also brought on board in October, with loans worth £15m provided by the Hollywood pair since paid off.
A report accompanying Wrexham's accounts written by club director Shaun Harvey offers some hope if Ronaldo did decide to get involved with Wrexham. The former EFL chief executive said in the documents: "Wrexham Holdings LLC, the shareholder of Wrexham AFC Limited now has three investors, with Rob and Ryan continuing to be the majority shareholders.
"The three investors are aligned on the principles that have been in place since the takeover in February 2021 and are committed to the positive development of the club. Further partners would be considered, if they can add value and assist in the delivery of our objectives."
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