Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney Just Bought a Stake in a Legendary Mexican Soccer Team
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have decided to give a storied Mexican soccer team the Wrexham treatment.
The two Hollywood stars, who famously bought the Welsh football team Wrexham AFC in November 2020, have purchased a minority stake in Club Necaxa, Variety reported on Monday. The century-old soccer club, which plays in Mexico’s top Liga MX league, already has four famous minority owners, including actor Eva Longoria, Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, model Kate Upton, and NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. Longoria helped bring Reynolds and McElhenney into the investor group, according to Variety.
The Deadpool lead and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star will reportedly work to boost Necaxa’s position and grow its international profile. The duo may also create a docuseries similar to the Emmy-winning Welcome to Wrexham to provide behind-the-scenes insight into the team, but they will need to clear it with Necaxa’s existing broadcast partners first. Longoria’s Hyphenate Media Group would likely be involved in developing any club content.
Necaxa has won the top division three times but last scored a trophy in the ‘90s. The team now sits ninth in the Liga MX table, after finishing last in the 2023 season. The Club seems ripe for a McElhenney-Reynolds takeover, then. The two Hollywood stars have certainly worked some magic with Wrexham. In 2021, the Welsh club was in the fifth tier of the National League and hadn’t been promoted to the English Football League in 15 years. With Reynolds and McElhenney at the helm, Wrexham has secured back-to-back promotions. It is now ranked second in League Two and will move up to League One next season.
“A few years ago, if you told me I would be crying tears of joy over a football match taking place in north Wales, you would be Rob McElhenney,” Reynolds wrote on X after the club was promoted to the League One earlier this month. “Congrats to Wrexham and to my co-chairman in crime. Double up the town! This is the ride of our lives.”
Reynolds and McElhenney could get help get the Liga MX back on top, too. The Mexican League was the most-watched soccer division in the U.S. until the Premier League surpassed it in 2023. Liga MX now sits second in the U.S. viewership rankings but continues to draw audiences almost on par with the top English league, as reported by The Guardian.
With two A-listers in the mix, Necaxa and Liga MX could both return to the number one position.
