Hollywood stars and Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney want to expand their football portfolio, including clubs closer to Hollywood, Liga MX’s Necaxa.
The Central Mexico-based club has won the top division three times, but its last league primacy came in the 90s. The team currently sits ninth in the Liga MX table after finishing last in the 2023 Apertura season. The program needs a reboot.
Reynolds and McElhenney try their luck at a second club
As Reynolds and McElhenney proved with Wrexham, they strive to bring back classic century-old clubs to their winning ways. The duo took over Wrexham (the third oldest club ever) in 2020 and has since achieved back-to-back promotions. But the Welsh club has also become a TV star, riding on the heels of its own eponymous show, Welcome to Wrexham. Global brands Gatorade, American Airlines, and TikTok have hopped on the bandwagon.
Necaxa fans hope Hollywood investors can bring the same script to their 100-year-old storied club. Variety reports the Reynolds-McElhenney minority stake in Necaxa is quid-pro-quo: terms of the deal also include American sports investors Al Tylis and Sam Porter’s 5% ownership of Wrexham.
Tylis, Porter, and celebrity Eve Longoria bought a 50% stake in Club Necaxa in 2021. Sports stars Mesut Ozil, Odell Beckham, Richard Hamilton, Shawn Marion, Justin Verlander, Victor Oladipo, Bode Miller, and model Kate Upton added additional minority ownership.
But it’s Necaxa’s newest owners, Reynolds and McElhenney, could take the club to new levels. Liga MX dominates US television viewership of football, surpassing MLS, La Liga, and the Premier League. Necaxa’s investors want to knock on the doors of Chivas and Club America’s hegemony.
Who knows—maybe they can add 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo to the roster. Wouldn’t that be something?
Photo: x/vancityreynolds
