ROLL up for Hollywood vs. the Wall Street-backed American sport GOAT: The Sequel.
Wrexham and Birmingham face off at the Racecourse Ground on Thursday evening, and it's not just a top-shelf League One match, but two glitzy worlds colliding.
Or, as Rotherham manager Steve Evans called their first match: League One's Real Madrid against the Harlem Globetrotters.
Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's third-placed Wrexham presenter Tom Brady and Tom Wagner's Wall Street-funded leaders Birmingham in the most high-profile match our third tier has ever seen.
And if Thursday night's game is anything like the first episode, we're in for a cracker.
When the two teams met at St Andrew's in September, the Blues came from behind to win 3–1 with two goals from £15 million summer signings for Jay Stansfield and Tomoki Iwata.
But in reality the score flattered Wrexham, who were overwhelmed by a team that spent more money during the summer transfer window than any club outside the Premier League.
Even Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson joked: “Birmingham bought every player we wanted to sign!”
Not only was Birmingham's famous old ground packed to the rafters with over 30,000 fans, but the game also attracted a global audience of FOUR MILLION – the largest ever viewing figure for a third-tier game in any country, let alone in England.
Brady, Birmingham co-owner and NFL legend, was at that game, along with David Beckham and Gary Neville, among others.
And the atmosphere in the stadium was so electric that even Beckham was blown away, saying he hadn't experienced such excitement in a stadium for years.
Both clubs are living the American Dream.
Reynolds and McElhenney saved Wrexham five years ago when they were rotting in the lower reaches of the National League.
Now they are about to take the team to the second tier for the first time in 43 years.
Such has been their success that they have inspired some of their Hollywood friends to invest in English football.
Their friend, the prankster Will Ferrell, has bought a stake in Leeds. Creed film star Michael B Jordan was part of a group that bought a stake in Bournemouth, while Avengers director Joe Russo has bought into Sheffield United.
But Reynolds and McElhenney are much more hands-on and have generated significant amounts of money, mainly through their Disney+ series Welcome To Wrexham, which was a huge success.
They have opened doors that even some Premier League clubs would envy.
Over the past two summers they have embarked on coast-to-coast tours of North America, visiting the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Bournemouth, where they were treated like Prem stars by the hosts.
Ahead of this game, Reynolds, McElhenney and Brady joined forces to raise money for the Los Angeles Fire Department following their incredibly heroic battle against the wildfires that threatened to engulf the Californian city.
The match will be shown at Cosm Los Angeles Stadium, where organizers are hoping for a large turnout.
And while Reynolds and McElhenney have brought global attention to Wrexham, they have endeared themselves to locals with their generous charity work on these shores.
The couple generously donated to Sands UK when then Wrexham player Jordan Davies and his partner Kelsey's son Arthur were stillborn three years ago.
And Reynolds auctioned off Deadpool-themed fitness equipment to raise money for Your Space – a local organization that helps children with autism.
They have also supported the Institute of Cancer Research.
And movingly, they donated £10,000 to a £40,000 crowdfunder to adapt the home of a four-year-old Wrexham fan called Louis, who was born with a rare genetic condition that leaves him with painful leg cramps, limited mobility and epilepsy. and cerebral palsy.
They still plan to renovate the racecourse grounds, including building a new grandstand at the Kop.
In Birmingham, the American owners are a year into righting the wrongs of their disastrous first season, in which they somehow conspired to have the team relegated.
Sacking John Eustace while they were in the promotion play-offs and replacing him with Wayne Rooney proved to be an unmitigated disaster.
But they have thrown huge sums of money at the problem and so far they are working with the team at the top of the table, five points clear of third place with two games to play.
There's a real feel-good factor around the blue noses… and regardless of tonight's result, Birmingham will certainly be back in the Championship next season with a clear ambition to get into the Premier League.
But how do the crazy worlds of the owners relate to each other? SunSport takes a closer look at millionaire owners…
AMAZING WEALTH
In terms of net worth, it is Reynolds who is the daddy of them all.
The Hollywood movie star's fortunes have risen in recent years thanks to the blockbuster Deadpool films If and Bullet Train.
It's not just in entertainment where Reynolds is flourishing. He had a keen eye for business, reportedly making a profit of £96m from the sale of Aviation Gin and also selling a 25 per cent stake in Mint Mobile last year.
All that means Reynolds is believed to be worth around £300 million.
His rival Brady is said to be worth £228 million.
Most of the seven-time Super Bowl winner's wealth was accumulated through his NFL playing career as a quarterback for the New England Patriots and later the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
And that is further boosted by a ten-year contract with Fox to provide commentary on the NFL, worth a whopping £285 million.
While McElhenney doesn't quite have the same wealth as those two, the It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia creator has around £50 million in the bank.
Last year he and Reynolds also invested a 24 percent equity stake in F1 team Alpine Racing.
FAMOUS WOMEN
Reynolds is one half of a Hollywood supercouple.
He married Gossip Girl actress Blake Lively in 2012 in a small, secret ceremony.
The Canadian was previously married to another beauty, Scarlett Johansson.
McElhenney met future wife Kaitlin Olson on the set of It's Always Sunny in 2005, and started dating a year later.
Brady was married to the world's most famous supermodel, Gisele Bündchen, until their shock breakup in 2022.
He soon started dating another model, Irina Shayk, who famously had romances with Cristiano Ronaldo and Bradley Cooper, but is now believed to be single.
AMAZING TOWNHOUSES
Reynolds and Lively spend most of their time on the East Coast of the US, while Brady and McElhenney are based on the West Coast.
Ryan and Blake's New York estate boasts 11.65 acres, includes an outdoor barn, and the colonial-style main house measures approximately 8,892 square feet.
It features seven bedrooms and six bathrooms and is reported to cost around £4.4 million.
It is believed that Brady has moved into a mega-mansion in Los Angeles after it was renovated over the summer.
He covered 14,000 feet, bought the land for a sum believed to be around £12 million and then built a house.
His former home in Miami went up for sale for more than £12 million following his divorce from Gisele.
EPIC CAR COLLECTIONS
Reynolds and Brady are two car enthusiasts who love their motorcycles.
The former sports star has an insane car collection worth a whopping £3.5million.
In his garage you will find a Rolls Royce Ghost, two Aston Martins – a DB11 and a Vanquish Volante – a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport and a Ferrari M458-T.
In addition, Brady has also been seen behind the wheel of an Audi R8, a Range Rover Sport and a Lexus.
Reynolds has a fast Lamborghini Aventador in his collection that reaches a top speed of over 350 km/h.
To travel in luxury with his family, the Van Wilder actor also has a huge Cadillac Escalade.
Always with an eye for the classics, Reynolds also added a super Mercedes-Benz 190 SL W121 to his collection.
It earned him a whopping £121,000 and was produced between 1955 and 1963.
But beyond the lavish lifestyle, who has the better team? We'll find out soon.
Comments