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Alex Webb

When Ryan Reynolds Buys a Soccer Team, Dollars Await

A Hollywood duo is trying to buy a low-ranked Welsh soccer team. It looks like smart business.

Spotting opportunities. — Spotting opportunities.
Photographer: Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

By

November 12, 2020, 7:00 AM UTC

Hollywood leading man Ryan Reynolds is on the cusp of acquiring the lowly Welsh soccer club Wrexham AFC. It looks like the purest expression yet of why the sport has been attracting a flock of U.S. investors: the seemingly insatiable demand for content.

The star of “Deadpool” is partnering with Rob McElhenney, the creator and star of the FX comedy “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” to buy Wrexham, a team currently languishing in 14th place in the National League, the fifth tier of English football.