Ryan Reynolds has told Wrexham fans he plans a long stay with the club as the celebrations continue following their unprecedented triple consecutive promotion.
The Welsh side sealed a stunning return to the second tier for the first time since 1982 with a thumping 3-0 victory over Charlton last weekend.
Jubilant fans stormed the pitch when promotion was confirmed as players celebrated alongside Hollywood duo and co-owners Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, with Blake Lively also jetting in to enjoy the scenes.
The Red Dragons were languishing in the fifth tier of English football after relegation from the Football League in 2008 and nearly went out of business.
But the club has been transformed since the takeoever by the pair of actors in 2021.
They have overseen a move from from non-league to within reach of the Premier League amid huge publicity partly driven by the documentary series Welcome to Wrexham.
Ryan Reynolds has told Wrexham fans he plans a long stay with the club following promotion
Wrexham sealed their third consecutive promotion with a win against Charlton on Saturday
Ryan Reynold’s wife Blake Lively also jetted into Wales to enjoy the promotion scenes
Reflecting on their meteoric rise, the Deadpool actor described his ownership as the ‘greatest four years’ of his life and said he would remain for ‘many more’ years.
In a gushing X post, he wrote: ‘This club is the sum of its supporters. Before we showed up they’d saved it multiple times. It’s a temple as much as a football pitch.
‘Wrexham has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. It’s hard to avoid immediately starting work on next season – but important to take the moment in…
‘Looking back and looking forward feels really good right now. I think I speak for Rob McElhenney when I say, thank you for the greatest four years and here’s to many more.’
The post was accompanied with a video from an Ed Sheeran concert, with a montage of Wrexham fans flooding the pitch last Saturday.
Sheeran, who owns a minority stake in Ipswich, is heard saying: ‘Ryan, I think Wrexham are going to get promoted and we’re going to see each other next season.
Reynolds had previously taken to Instagram to share a gleeful post, alongside a collection of photos of the team, coaches, fans and trophy.
He said Wrexham made ‘history’ despite people doubting him and McElhenney thinking their dreams of being in the Premier League could be possible.
Wrexham fans streamed onto the pitch to celebrate their return return to the second tier
Winger James McClean praised the owners and said they ‘deserved all the credit in the world’
The Welsh club has received huge publicity partly driven by the Welcome to Wrexham series
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor McElhenney added: ‘I have the greatest job in sports. All I have to do is sit back, watch the game and be eternally grateful. I’ve been blessed to meet the greatest people in the world.’
Meanwhile, winger James McClean, who has played in the Premier League for Sunderland and West Brom, was full of praise for the owners.
‘You see it with so many owners, they come in and promise you the world and they don’t deliver,’ McClean told BBC Radio Wales. ‘They’ve delivered. They deserve all of the credit in the world.’
‘It’s unbelievable. This place was on its knees and went through dark times not so long ago. To now see where we’ve got to and to be a part of that and a part of history is absolutely phenomenal.
‘You’re in the game to be remembered for something, and now we’ll be remembered for this.’
Wrexham’s move into the Championship will see a leap in sponsorship revenues and they have been linked with a number of Premier League players.
Their summer squad overhaul will be built around a ‘no superstars and no egos’ policy as the club push for the Premier League, though manager Phil Parkinson displayed no surprise when Jamie Vardy and Kevin De Bruyne’s names were put to him as targets after a record-breaking third promotion.
Vardy and De Bruyne are free agents, albeit the Belgian’s £400,000-a-week Manchester City salary seems to put him way out of reach.
Jonny Evans, Ashley Young and possibly Newcastle United’s Callum Wilson could fall into the same category.
Parkinson, who has now secured six promotions as a manager, said that the club ‘always have our eye on players who are free transfers and are going to be available and will continue to do that.’
