Ryan Reynolds will never refer to Wrexham AFC as a soccer team

11 August 2021

Ryan Reynolds has promised to never refer to his football club Wrexham AFC as a "soccer" team.

Ryan Reynolds

The 44-year-old Canadian actor and his friend Rob McElhenney - the creator and star of 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' - gained 100 per cent control of the non-league Welsh club, known as the Red Dragons, from the Wrexham Supporters Trust (WST) in February 2021 after having their bid approved by fans.

Reynolds has referred to his ownership of the third oldest professional team in the world as "the role of a lifetime" and he has assured the club's fans that he will never use the Americanism soccer in reference to his team.

In an interview with Sky News, he said: "I wouldn't dare call it soccer. I care about my well-being enough to not call it soccer!

"I'm super excited. I mean, we've made no secret of that, it's the role of a lifetime for both me and for Rob McElhenney."

The 'Deadpool' star has been in Wrexham this week for a special screening of his latest movie 'Free Guy' and he intended to use his time to learn as much about the market town in Wales and "absorb" the legacy of the club.

He said: "I think the first thing we're going to do is we're going to go to the Racecourse and just spend some time on the ground and just kind of try to absorb as much of the legacy as we can of the club and Wrexham.

"And then we're going to jump into the community as much as we can. You know, I'm excited to just be in the town and experience all that the town has to offer.

"There's such a rich history in Wrexham and there's such a legacy of incredible adoration and love for this club and we kind of feel like both the community and the club are really intertwined. We're excited about hopefully raising the profile of both."

Reynolds - who is married to actress Blake Lively - has been a life-long fan of the sport but he has no intention of showing off his skills to the players, who kick-off their 2021-22 campaign at home against Yeovil Town on Saturday 21 August.

He said: "My football skills are all right. I mean, I played for, I don't know, 10 years as a kid. I don't even pretend to be anywhere near the level of the players in the club or even just your average, everyday, you know, human being in Wales.

"I wouldn't put my skills up against anyone, but I love it. Yeah, I definitely love it. I'm excited to see the club go."

Both Reynolds and McElhenney are set to appear in an access-all-areas docuseries about the club, entitled 'Welcome To Wrexham' which will follow the players and manager Dean Keates over the next two seasons.