Wrexham have made a host of high-profile signings since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over, with their players counting several famous stars among their former teammates
Wrexham’s glamorous transformation thanks to the star power of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has been nothing short of cinematic.
The Hollywood A-listers have turned the Red Dragons from a non-league team hunting for freebies to League One promotion hopefuls splashing out a cool £2million in the winter transfer window. With former Premier League hotshots and academy prospects now in their ranks, Wrexham‘s squad has mingled with some big names.
Their record-breaking signing this season was Reading striker Sam Smith, who joined the Welsh club for a hefty fee believed to be around £2million. Smith, a product of Manchester United‘s youth system, once shared the academy pitch with stars like Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay.
But it wasn’t just his teammates that left an impression; Sir Alex Ferguson himself provided a sprinkle of magic to Smith’s ambitions. The forward told The Sun about his unforgettable encounters with the likes of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.
He said: “I met Sir Alex a few times. He used to watch the academy games. He used to invite the under-sevens and under-eights on to the first-team coach before they set off for games to meet all the players.
“Being a kid and a huge Manchester United fan, meeting all the stars was something I’ll never forget. It gave me the motivation to try to be there one day. Ronaldo and Rooney were the two players that I looked up to, so it was a huge moment for me.”
Another notable signing in January was Jay Rodriguez from Championship side Burnley. The veteran striker, 35, reportedly accepted a £15,000 per week salary to switch the Racecourse.
Rodriguez boasts an impressive 258 Premier League appearances throughout his career, in addition to a single England cap in a friendly against Chile at Wembley in 2013. Frank Lampard captained the team that day, with Rooney leading the attack.
Another Wrexham player with United ties is midfielder Ollie Rathbone, an eight-year veteran of the club’s academy. Like Smith, he played alongside Rashford and McTominay.
However, Rathbone, who joined Wrexham from Rotherham United for a cool £500,000 last summer, confessed he didn’t initially see what all the fuss was about with Rashford.
“Everyone seemed to know Marcus was going to make it, but he was like a baby until he was 15 or 16 and I couldn’t really see it,” Rathbone admitted to The Guardian in 2019.
“I couldn’t believe such a little lad could possibly go up to first-team training and compete with the likes of Rio Ferdinand, but Marcus is tough and determined and in a short space of time he has grown into an incredible footballer and athlete.”
Wrexham also have James McClean, the former Republic of Ireland international, who wasn’t afraid to voice his opinion about his well-known ex-teammate Declan Rice after playing alongside the Arsenal midfielder for Ireland before his switch to England.
McClean expressed his views on RTE Sport in June last year, describing Rice as “overrated” and “not world-class”. He said: “Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a very good footballer.
“But the way the English media wax lyrical about him is completely over the top. For me, he’s not world class. To me world class is someone who gets in every side in the world. I don’t think he does that.”
Additionally, Wrexham defender Eoghan O’Connell shares a notable connection, having replaced Virgil van Dijk during his Celtic debut in January 2014.
Furthermore, midfielder Matty James was a member of Leicester City’s 2016 Premier League-winning squad alongside Jamie Vardy and N’Golo Kante.
However, a ligament injury caused him to miss that entire season. Veteran forward Steven Fletcher can also draw on his experiences with Sunderland and Wolves, as well as his loan stint at Marseille, where he debuted as a substitute for ex-Chelsea player Michy Batshuayi.
These players are now part of a team that has gained fame due to its Hollywood owners and the success of the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series.
Currently, Wrexham are just shy of the top two in League One, pursuing an unprecedented third consecutive promotion under manager Phil Parkinson.