Washington vs. Texas score: Michael Penix Jr. stars as Huskies escape Sugar Bowl into national championship
Ryan Reynolds Shows True Colours With Private Call To Former Premier League Star
Ryan Reynolds shared a video call with Wrexham new boy Jay Rodriguez (Image: Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Wrexham's latest signing Jay Rodriguez has spilled the beans on the heartwarming reception he got from club co-owner Ryan Reynolds.
The former Burnley ace, who took a step down from the Championship to join the Welsh football team, is now part of Wrexham's ambitious bid for a third consecutive promotion under the guidance of Phil Parkinson. With four games already under his belt, the 35-year-old striker shared how the Deadpool actor personally reached out with a video call to welcome him aboard after sealing the deal.
A self-confessed fan of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary series, Rodriguez expressed his excitement in an interview with the BBC. He said "I've followed it from afar. It's been a great story to watch, and now to be part of it I feel very privileged.
"To be a part of this group, these players, staff, fans, this area, it's really important. Ryan sent me a really nice message, which is just another touch from the club to make myself and my family feel welcome. The story and the journey the club have been on I really want to be a part of."
Wrexham's promotion dream hit a bump in the road after they were dealt a 2-1 loss by Leyton Orient at home on Tuesday. Yet seasoned pro Rodriguez, with over 250 top-tier matches and 46 Premier League goals to his name, remains undeterred and eager to secure promotion with Wrexham in his maiden voyage into England's third tier.
"It would mean everything (to achieve that)," said Rodriguez. "It's something that would go down in history and something I think the club deserves. It's really important and I'm really enjoying being part of it, and that's why I'll continue to work to my full, maximum ability.
Wrexham have announced the signing of Burnley striker Jay Rodriguez (Image:
Wrexham AFC)"It's my first time at this level, but it's full of quality. Teams make it difficult for you in different ways but you've seen by the goals we've scored that the quality is there."
Rodriguez expressed his confidence in the squad, adding: "I've got every confidence in the group, and we have players and staff who want to keep improving. There's definitely a togetherness and we have a lot to play for. I'm very optimistic."
In another slice of team news, Wrexham's Steven Fletcher recently shared a cheeky comparison between his teammate, midfielder Ollie Rathbone, and football legend Lionel Messi. The social media post came after Rathbone played a starring role in Wrexham's recent 2-0 triumph over Northampton last Saturday, netting the second goal shortly after Sam Smith had put the Red Dragons in front.
Wrexham AFC is the arguably the fastest-growing club in the world at the moment thanks to a certain Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The Dragons have achieved two consecutive promotions and are cheered on by crowds from not only North Wales but also from all over the globe, thanks to the success of the Disney+ documentary 'Welcome to Wrexham'. But does it have a dedicated, quality source of information piped through to your inbox each week, free of ads but packed with informed opinion, analysis and even a little bit of fun each week? That's where Wrexham is the Game steps in... Available every Wednesday, it provides all the insights you need to be a top red. And for a limited time, a subscription to 'Wrexham is the Game' will cost fans just £15 for the first year. Sign up for Wrexham is the Game hereFollowing the crucial victory, Fletcher showered his teammate with compliments. He took to Instagram, sharing a story that likened Rathbone's goal celebration to that of Messi's, accompanied by a caption saying: "Everything you have been saying makes sense now."
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Taylor Swift Was Linked With Move To Buy Shock English Football Club To Rival Ryan Reynolds At Wrexham
Published 13:54 18 Feb 2025 GMT
Despite being close friends with Ryan Reynolds' wife, Blake Lively, Taylor Swift was once rumoured to be close to purchasing one of Wrexham's rivals.
The pop icon has become a huge figure in the sporting world in recent years due to her relationship with Kanas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
The pair have been dating since 2023 and Swift has been pictures cheering on the NFL star from the stands several times, including at the Super Bowl earlier this month, when fans booed her appearance on the stadium's big screen during the Chiefs' 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Swift's presence at games is said to have caused an upswing in popularity for the American sports league, while some figures within the game have decried the level of attention the superstar songwriter garners when she shows up to support her partner.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce make major life decision as engagement rumours swirl ahead of Super Bowl LIXAnd in 2023, a rumour began to gather pace that Swift was about to make a major move in the soccer world by purchasing a stake in Notts County.
The Magpies were League Two rivals of Wrexham at the time and had featured prominently in the documentary series 'Welcome to Wrexham' following the Welsh club's fortunes after being bought by Hollywood stars Reynolds and Rob McIlhenney, as the two teams vied for promotion from the National League.
The whispers of Swift's interest in Notts County grew to such a degree that the club's owners were forced to issue an official statement to deny that the Shake it Off star was set to buy into their East Midlands outfit, taking the opportunity to make light of the rumour with a few well-placed Swift-related puns.
"As sorry as we are to disappoint the Swifties in our fanbase, we're going to have to shake this story off," the statement read. "There's certainly no bad blood between ourselves and Taylor but at such an exciting time for us and the club, she surely couldn't have believed in her wildest dreams that we would relinquish our control.
"We'll leave a blank space in tomorrow's pre-match playlist for a track from her newly re-released 1989 album as a gesture of gratitude for her interest."
Featured Image Credit: Getty ImagesTopics: Wrexham, Football
'I Went To Eton With Prince William – Now I'm A Famous Actor Working For A Football Club'
Humphrey Ker is a man who has enjoyed a remarkable life – from sharing a bedroom with Prince William at school to becoming a director at Wrexham AFC.
The actor, writer and comedian first met the Prince of Wales when the pair attended Ludgrove School and Eton College together as young boys. And they crossed paths again decades later when William paid a surprise visit to the football club owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The story of how Ker ended up at the Welsh football outfit is a fascinating one, which has been documented in the hit Welcome to Wrexham TV series. The 42-year-old was born in October 1982 to father David Ker, a fine art dealer, and mother Alexandra, the daughter of a Royal Navy officer.
Following his early education alongside William, he studied history at the University of Edinburgh. It was during this period that he met fellow students David Reed and Thom Tuck and formed a sketch troupe called The Penny Dreadfuls, who wrote comedies for Radio 4.
Ker later won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer in 2011 for his show Dymock Watson: Nazi Smasher! After relocating to Los Angeles in 2013, he began taking on more writing roles, eventually landing a job on Apple TV series Mythic Quest.
The workplace sitcom is set at a gaming company and stars Wrexham co-owner McElhenney in a leading role. The show was created by McElhenney alongside Ker's wife Megan Ganz, who is also a writer on hit US TV show It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
During the filming of the opening season of Mythic Quest, Ker triggered a series of events that would ultimately lead to Reynolds and McElhenney buying Wrexham. Amid the early days of the Covid lockdowns, he regularly watched his team Liverpool FC during breaks in filming.
Ker's love of the Premier League side caught the attention of sports fanatic McElhenney, who initially struggled to understand the appeal. That was until his colleague pointed him in the direction of the Sunderland 'Til I Die documentary on Netflix and he was soon gripped.
Ker later told Four Four Two magazine: "The big shift was during lockdown. I recommended he watched Sunderland 'Til I Die. I thought, 'that's the key to this. He's a storyteller. He needs to understand the story of football'."
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It clearly worked as McElhenney suddenly floated the idea of buying a football club to Ker, who quickly set about creating a set of criteria, scoring teams on factors such as facilities, fanbase, history and finance. Wrexham gained the highest marks, partly thanks to their rich history.
McElhenney pulled off a big coup in convincing Deadpool star Reynolds to come on board and the takeover was completed in February 2021 to the widespread approval of supporters. By his own admission, Ker is hardly a natural born football administrator, but was the first man on the ground in North Wales, serving as a key go-between for the new owners at a time when international travel was very difficult.
He was soon announced as an executive director, although his early interactions with the playing staff were slightly awkward. An early episode of Welcome to Wrexham shows Ker addressing some confused looking players shortly after the takeover was completed, who then burst into laughter when he leaves the room.
However, his willingness to get stuck in and a self-deprecating style of humour soon endeared him to supporters and club stalwarts alike. Ker's popularity has also been aided by the club's newfound success on the pitch under former Sunderland manager Phil Parkinson, who took them to back-to-back promotions from the National League and League Two.
Fast forward to March 1, 2024 when Ker was reunited with a familiar face in Prince William as his former schoolmate visited Wrexham – now in League One fighting for promotion again to the Championship – to celebrate St David's Day. During his time in the city, William met up with Ker and Wrexham co-chairman McElhenney at The Turf pub.
The encounter was shown in the third season of the Wrexham documentary. Reflecting on his past friendship with Ker, the Prince said "it's been a while" as they warmly shook hands.
"I went to school with Prince William. I have known him since I was seven, or something like that," Ker later revealed."We literally shared a bedroom from (the age of) seven until 10." William, a keen Aston Villa fan, praised both Ker and McElhenney for their work at Wrexham, as he asked them: "Has the journey been as exciting as it looks on the outside?"
McElhenney replied by saying that his involvement with the team had "exceeded anything we could have ever imagined". William added: "You give so many football fans, whose team maybe is not in the glory days that they want to be or used to be, the hope and the optimism that one day you can be back."
It made for memorable footage for the Disney+ cameras and a full circle moment for Ker, whose unlikely journey from William's school friend to successful football club director has now been recognised. It's also had a beneficial impact on his acting and writing career.
After appearing in two seasons of NBC sitcom American Auto, Ker has written a comedy play called Sherlock Holmes and The Twelve Days of Christmas with former Penny Dreadfuls member David Reed. The whodunnit, due to premiere in Birmingham in November, features original songs by none other than Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, who have previously been involved in some of the most famous musicals in history.
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