Written by by Sacha Silva, CNN
This story is part of a series with CNN Money and travel agency EOI Fusion celebrating the best places to travel in the world.
As an avid soccer fan, Ryan Reynolds — the actor, comedian and self-professed “this weird guy” — has become something of a legend in the UK, thanks to his friendship with Scottish comic Rob McElhenney.
Reynolds decided to rebrand his Humble Brewery as — what else? — Humble Brewery Football’s Strongest, and teamed up with McElhenney to buy Wrexham FC in Wales.
“It sounds weird, you know, I might just be a massive nerd, but I just love playing with fire,” Reynolds said at the time. “I love the showmanship side of the game. I love that you just take so much pride in playing football.”
To commemorate the best day of McElhenney’s life, the actor and beer baron flew to the club’s first match since joining the ownership group last month. (The team won 1-0 against Morecambe. Yes, Morecambe.)
The two met at the Wales Legends Caravan tour in South Africa in 2012, when the 35-year-old actor went to promote his voice role in animated film “Rio 2” and posed for photos with Wrexham’s legendary goalkeeper Steve Davis.
Two years later, Reynolds and McElhenney flew to the UK together on a Business Class charter flight from Dublin, Ireland to Cardiff, Wales — a nearly 5,000 mile trip, which also included time to tour the Welsh city and play tourist in its iconic castle.
Humble Football’s Strongest opened in March with a team of “South Wales Dragons” — a nostalgic, celebrity-lined squad that was comprised of the region’s best actors, musicians and comedians including Reynolds and McElhenney. Now, they’ll do their best to defend their title.
Their collection of second-hand soccer balls and out-of-fashion jerseys shows signs of neglect, but on the pitch — they’re unbeatable. Just ask Morecambe, who managed to score a lone goal against their old rivals.
