Wrexham and Manchester United are only 53 miles away in terms of geography, and now they’re only a league apart in terms of football.
The last time Manchester United won the Premier League was in 2013. That 2012/13 season, Wrexham finished 5th in the National League.
Fast-forward to now and one club is enjoying much more success than the other, and it’s Wrexham who are winning promotions and trophies whilst United struggle to keep their heads above water in the Premier League.
Under owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, Wrexham have won three-straight promotions, landing themselves in the Championship and potentially just one season away from joining Man United in the Premier League.
Man United case study could be why Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac bought Wrexham
In almost four years as owners, Reynolds and Mac have taken Wrexham from being a struggling Welsh team, completely unknown on the global scale, to being a thriving, household name in world football.
And following promotion from League One last season, it was claimed that Wrexham are now worth £150million as a club, which is an incredible 7400% increase on the initial £2million that Mac and Reynolds paid for the club in 2021.
Speaking to ESPN, business expert Chris Mann was discussing why so many US investors and celebrities are wanting to buy into English football, citing Reynolds and Mac at Wrexham and citing United’s case study as well
And whilst Man United are obviously way more valuable than Wrexham, it is the Welsh club who lead the way in terms of percentage growth over the last few years, and by some distance too.
Mann explained: “From an investment perspective, the track record is compelling and Manchester United serves as a prime example. The Glazers acquired the club for around £800m in 2005, and by the time of INEOS’ investment in February 2024, the total enterprise value of United was over £4bn – that’s a 400% increase over 20 years.
“It’s also significant that since the 2008 financial crash, the U.S. economy has recovered and grown at a far faster rate than the European economies and, in particularly, the U.K. It’s created a surplus of cash among this class of investor who are wealthy enough to come and buy into European sports, but may be priced out of the U.S. market.”
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Wrexham’s predicted revenue for 25/26 vs Man United’s in 24/25
Simply put, Wrexham and Manchester United are too difficult to compare: one of a global giant and has been for a long time, whilst one is a growing team and a growing brand, but a very fast-growing one at that.
And whilst Wrexham’s increasing growth outshines Man United’s, the Red Devils’ revenue completely dwarfs that of Wrexham.
Last season, United recorded a record revenue of an incredible £666.5m. Meanwhile, Wrexham made a turnover of £26.7million in 2024/25 but their revenue was not disclosed.
For this season, however, Wrexham are expected to make £50million in revenue, with TV rights from being in the Championship a huge factor.
If Wrexham can become a Premier League team and continue with their global branding, they too could one day be making mega money in terms of revenue.