A report by GQ has outlined how the video game, Football Manager, saw Rob McElhenney develop an admiration for Wrexham.
It has been a dream few seasons for Wrexham. This has seen them achieve their goals and grow on a global scale.
With Phil Parkinson coming in and taking the Reds from the National League to League Two. They are now promotion contenders in League Two. This has all coincided with the purchase of the club by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2020.
There have been various great memories to speak of. From Ben Foster’s penalty save at the Kop End to even the signings of stars like Elliot Lee and Paul Mullin.
The profile of the club has skyrocketed through the production of ‘Welcome to Wrexham‘. This has now won five Emmys after the ceremony this week.
This has all been made possible by the new ownership structure and the celebrity impact they bring to North Wales. Now a story has come out suggesting the idea came about from playing video games.
Football Manager influence on Reynolds and McElhenney
The announcement of Reynolds and McElhenney and their ownership of Wrexham was met with shock. There had been murmurs and whispers of a potential deal but it still seemed crazy.
People had questioned why two Hollywood stars had an interest in the National League and bought a club.
Now in a report by GQ, Tom Lamont has opened up about the reasons behind the pair buying the Reds four years ago.
On that, he started saying: “A couple of years ago I wrote a story for this magazine about Wrexham AFC, a small soccer team in Wales that was bought by the actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
“Living in LA, McElhenney told me, meant he had to get up before dawn just to watch his team play on an internet stream. He grew up a Philadelphia Eagles fan. Reynolds rooted for the BC Lions in Vancouver.”
It would appear that McElhenney, in particular, would have preferred to be involved in an American side he supports. That wasn’t possible in the end.
Obviously, these weren’t available at the time and as a result, the pair moved on to the next preferable option.
On that, Lamont added: “You buy what’s available, though. They settled on Wrexham after one of McElhenney’s friends drew up a list of teams he’d come to admire via a video game called Football Manager.”
Given the success that Wrexham have had with Reynolds and McElhenney at the helm, it is crazy to suggest Football Manager was behind it.
Whatever the reason, fans have got to be thankful for the pair coming in. They have dragged the Reds up and boosted their profile more than anyone could have imagined.