This article was written by staff at The Times and published in the newspaper on Tuesday August 17, 2021.
Wrexham fans have been hoping their football team’s new owners can sprinkle some Hollywood magic on their club this season.
But while their success is yet to be proven, the link with Tinseltown has been further strengthened after a Hollywood-style sign appeared in the Welsh town over the weekend.
Huge white letters spelling out “Wrexham” were put up on a slag heap on Sunday — prompting speculation over who was behind it. The National League club were taken over last year by the actors Ryan Reynolds, star of the Deadpool films, and Rob McElhenney, best known for the TV show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
The sign appeared the day after Wrexham beat Curzon Ashton 3-1 in a final pre-season game.
Wrexham’s Twitter account retweeted and shared images and video and said: “Wrexham, it’s always been the Hollywood of Europe, apparently. . .”
Residents suspect that Reynolds, who said he was “mortified” not to have visited Wrexham since buying the club, is behind the sign. Pete Leyshon, a dog-walker, said: “This has just got to be Ryan Reynolds — who else would do it? It’s fantastic.”
When he spotted the letters, Michael Roberts, a Wrexham resident, went to investigate. He said: “There were about six lads putting the sign up. They were in a white 4×4. Whoever has done it has put a lot of effort into it and must have had permission to get through the gate at the back of the slag heap.”
Wrexham, founded in 1864, are the third-oldest professional club side in the world. Reynolds and McElhenney received near-unanimous approval from fans to buy the club after almost a decade of ownership by supporters. Their representatives have not responded to requests about whether they were involved.
