Famous Wrexham Fans: Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney to John Cleese & Robbie Savage

There can be few clubs in world football whose list of famous supporters has changed quite so dramatically in such a short space of time as Wrexham. Founded in 1864, the Red Dragons are the oldest club in Wales and one of the oldest professional football clubs anywhere, with the Racecourse Ground recognised as the world’s oldest international stadium still in use. For all that heritage, though, the club spent the better part of 15 years drifting around the National League, which is the sort of place where a celebrity sighting in the stands was about as likely as snow in July.

That all changed when Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed their takeover in early 2021. What followed was a Disney+ documentary, a run of promotions and a steady parade of A-listers turning up in North Wales. It’s fair to say that this list isn’t exhaustive, and it splits into two camps: the Hollywood crowd who arrived with the new owners and the loyal souls who were following the club long before anyone in Los Angeles knew where Wrexham was. It is also fair to say that it might not be entirely accurate, but that’s part of the fun.

Ryan Reynolds

It feels slightly disingenuous to include a man who owns the club on a list of its fans, but there is little doubt that the Deadpool star has become a genuine convert rather than simply an investor with a spreadsheet. The Canadian, who admits he knew next to nothing about the sport before Rob McElhenney talked him into it, has since been seen living and dying with every result.

Whilst he occasionally looks as though the stress might do for him entirely, that just proves that Reynolds really has become a football fan after all. For someone who came to the game late, the actor has thrown himself into Wrexham with the enthusiasm of a man who grew up singing songs on the terraces.

Rob McElhenney

The creator and star of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, now known professionally as Rob Mac, is the man who started the whole adventure, having become fascinated by lower-league English and Welsh football during lockdown before choosing to invest in a football team if he could find someone rich enough to help.

McElhenney did his homework, settled on Wrexham and then persuaded Reynolds to come along for the ride. He has spoken movingly about the club’s connection to its town and whilst he may have been born in Philadelphia rather than anywhere near the River Dee, his commitment to the Red Dragons has never looked anything other than heartfelt.

Blake Lively

Actress Blake Lively, of Gossip Girl and A Simple Favor fame, has been married to Reynolds since 2012 and where her husband goes, the cameras tend to follow. She has attended a number of matches at the Racecourse, joining in the celebrations during the club’s march up the divisions.

Whether she could pick out a 4-4-2 from a 3-5-2 is anybody’s guess, but she has certainly added a touch of Hollywood glamour to proceedings in a corner of North Wales not previously known for it. Unlikely to be sticking around for a match once the cameras have all been turned off, she still has to be on our list.

Hugh Jackman

Having spent a good chunk of his career as Wolverine, Hugh Jackman was always likely to end up at Wrexham once he and Reynolds teamed up for Deadpool & Wolverine. The Australian made the trip to North Wales and was duly invited into the dressing room by his co-star, only to be given a memorable cold shoulder by players who were rather more focused on the football than on meeting a global film star.

It is the kind of unglamorous welcome that, in fairness, rather sums up the appeal of the lower leagues and that Wrexham’s long-term fans will be hoping remains as part of the club’s DNA long after the Red Dragons have stopped being the main story.

Will Ferrell

Comedy royalty Will Ferrell, the man behind Anchorman and Step Brothers, turned up to watch Wrexham’s 3-1 win over Wealdstone in the February of 2023, with the club’s goalkeeper later admitting the players were ‘cracking up’ at having him in the building.

Ferrell is no stranger to football, having taken an ownership stake in other clubs over the years, but on that particular afternoon he was just another famous face caught up in the Wrexham fairytale. Again, it is probably slightly misleading to call him a fan – if for no other reason than he’s on the list of other clubs on this site.

Paul Rudd

Ant-Man himself, Paul Rudd, became a fan in 2023 and went about it in exactly the right way, being spotted in the Turf ahead of a match against Boreham Wood. The famous pub that sits in the corner of the Racecourse Ground might well have grown used to such Hollywood stars turning up by now.

There is something rather endearing about one of Marvel’s biggest names supping a pint with the locals before kick-off and it is precisely the sort of image that has helped turn the club into a global story. There will definitely be some wondering exactly how much of a ‘fan’ he really is, though.

Ted Robbins

If the Hollywood names represent the new Wrexham, then comedian and actor Ted Robbins represents the old one. Best known for playing the villainous Den Perry in Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights, Robbins is a lifelong supporter whose love of the club was handed down by his father, and who has happily passed it on to the generations that followed.

He was a special guest at the club’s 150th anniversary celebrations in 2014, long before any of this became fashionable, and seemed both delighted and slightly stunned when the Hollywood pair arrived to take over the club he had followed his whole life. The only thing he’ll be disappointed about is that it doesn’t appear to have improved his career prospects.

John Cleese

Perhaps the most unexpected name on the entire list, Monty Python and Fawlty Towers legend John Cleese was spotted wearing a Wrexham shirt, a sight that nobody quite saw coming. The story goes that he was converted to the cause by Jason Watkins while the two were working together on a sitcom.

That is proof that Wrexham fandom can strike at any age and in the most surprising of company. It is hard to imagine Basil Fawlty taking defeat at Stockport with much grace, but then Cleese hasn’t aged particularly gracefully himself if some of his opinions are anything to go by.

Robbie Savage

Is it fair to include a former footballer on our list? Maybe not, but Robbie Savage was born in Wrexham and has never been shy about his connections to the land of his forefathers. His career as a player actually began at Manchester United and he never lined up for the Red Dragons, but that arguably proves the point.

Rather than just being another former player who has a soft spot for the club that gave him a chance, the ex-player, one-time pundit and now football manager genuinely does seem to consider himself a Wrexham fan. Of course, those that don’t like him will point out he’s never been shy of jumping on a bandwagon.

Mark Hughes

No list of Wrexham’s famous followers would be complete without a couple of footballing names from the local area. Former Manchester United and Wales striker Mark Hughes, who hails from nearby Ruabon, is another with deep roots in this part of Wales who has expressed his love for the Red Dragons over the years.

It is, perhaps, a stark reminder that you can invite as many Hollywood celebrities along as you want, but in the end, the club belongs to the people of North Wales. As with Savage, Hughes never played for the Red Dragons, nor did he manage them, but he no doubt keeps an eye on the club’s results as they come in.

Jason Watkins

BAFTA-winning actor Jason Watkins, familiar from The Crown and W1A, has a connection to Wrexham that runs deeper than most. As a teenager, he actually trained with the club’s youth team across the summers of 1977 and 1978, including the time-honoured ritual of running up the sand dunes at Rhyl.

He was ultimately told the club would not be taking him on, which ended up being football’s loss as much as acting’s gain, but he has remained a supporter ever since and clearly still treasures those teenage trips to North Wales. Nowadays, of course, he blends into the crowd when compared to Hollywood’s brighter lights.