16 May 2023 , 17:39
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The light-hearted nature of Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney leads to a question: how do they cope in the high-pressure business of football when their opinions are not aligned.
Having never met in person before their deal to buy the newly-promoted League Two club, the pair have struck up quite the bromance as the North Wales outfit finally brought a 15-year stay in non-league to an end last month.
Deadpool star Reynolds and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia creator McElhenney have been hands-on in their ownership, and they told the Fearless In Devotion podcast they are lucky to share an excellent relationship as friends and business partners.
"Yeah, we do (disagree)", McElhenney said. "That's the sign of a healthy relationship. We just don't like being in a situation where we're arguing over something and it's not the thing you were originally talking about and it's spilt into 10 other things you've not had an agreement on.
"We never let those things fester. If we ever have a disagreement we approach it out of love and respect and recognise we both just want what's best for the club and manage it that way."
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The Hollywood ownership of Wrexham has not only delivered success on the field; the club is thriving as a business and a brand, with the FX and Disney+ documentary series Welcome To Wrexham proving hugely popular and big-name sponsors TikTok and Expedia on board.
Reynolds believes their success as owners has come not only from their cash injection and celebrity status but from the way he and McElhenney work together.
Wrexham owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds lifted the National League trophy after beating Boreham Wood in April. (Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)"I think one of the reasons we've managed to do this successfully so far is that we both manage conflict in a similar way," he explained.
"As you get older too you get to sort things out in a better way. I think the key is you ask 'Would I rather win here, or would I rather learn something?'
"We approach situations in that way. I think both Rob and I both ring different sensibilities to this and I think they're complimentary.
"I'm lucky I get to work with Rob, to build something with him and call him one of my closest friends in the whole world."
Wrexham will play in the EFL next season for the first time since 2008 after topping Notts County in a thrilling title race in the National League. Notts will join them in the fourth tier after winning Saturday's playoff final against Chesterfield on penalties.