Inside the glitziest game in football as millionaire Hollywood owners face off in Wrexham vs Birmingham

ROLL up for Hollywood vs the Wall Street-backed American sports GOAT: The Sequel.

Wrexham and Birmingham face off tonight at the Racecourse Ground, and it’s not just a top-of-the-table League One game — but two glitzy worlds colliding.

FX NetworksRob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have transformed Wrexham[/caption]

Tom Brady decided to become a joint-owner at Birmingham

GettyThe return fixture kicked off earlier in the season with tempers flaring[/caption]

Or, as Rotherham manager Steve Evans called their first clash, the Real Madrid of League One against the Harlem Globetrotters.

Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s third-placed Wrexham host Tom Brady and Tom Wagner’s Wall Street-financed leaders Birmingham in the highest-profile fixture our third tier has ever known.

And if Thursday night’s game is anything like the first instalment, we are in for a cracker.

When the two teams met at St Andrew’s in September, the Blues came from behind to win 3-1 with two goals from £15million summer signing Jay Stansfield and Tomoki Iwata.

But, in truth, the scoreline flattered Wrexham who were overpowered by a team that spent more money in the summer transfer window than any club outside the Premier League.

Even Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson quipped: “Birmingham bought every player we wanted to sign!”

Not only was Birmingham’s famous old ground packed to the rafters with more than 30,000 fans but the game attracted a global audience of FOUR MILLION – the biggest viewing figure ever for a third-tier game in any country, let alone England.

Birmingham co-owner and NFL legend Brady was at that game along with the likes of David Beckham and Gary Neville.

And the atmosphere was so electric inside the stadium that even Beckham was blown away by it, saying that he had not experienced such excitement in a stadium for many years.

Both clubs are living the American Dream.

Reynolds and McElhenney rescued Wrexham five years ago when they were rotting away in the lower reaches of the National League.

Now they are on the brink of taking the team into the second tier for the first time in 43 years.

Such has been their success, they have inspired some of their Hollywood chums to invest in English football.

Their pal, funnyman Will Ferrell has bought a stake in Leeds, Creed movie series star Michael B Jordan was part of a group that bought a stake in Bournemouth while Avengers director Joe Russo has bought into Sheffield United.

But Reynolds and McElhenney are far more hands-on and have generated significant funds mainly through their Disney+ series Welcome To Wrexham, which has been a huge success.

They have opened doors that even some Premier League clubs would be jealous of.

The past two summers, they have embarked on coast-to-coast North America pre-season tours taking on the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Bournemouth where they were treated by the hosts like Prem stars.

Ahead of this game Reynolds, McElhenney and Brady have joined forces to help raise money for the Los Angeles Fire Department after their incredibly heroic battle against the wildfires that threatened to engulf the Californian city.

The game is being screened at the Cosm Los Angeles Stadium where organisers are hoping for a big turnout.

And while Reynolds and McElhenney have attracted global attention for Wrexham, they have endeared themselves to the locals with their generous charity work on these shores.

GettyThe Hollywood duo have led Wrexham to back-to-back promotions[/caption]

Birmingham were relegated at the end of a nightmare seasonGetty

Instagram @vancityreynoldsReynolds has a special bond with his players including striker Paul Mullin[/caption]

The pair generously donated with Sands UK three years ago when then-Wrexham player Jordan Davies and his partner Kelsey’s son Arthur was stillborn three years ago.

And Reynolds auctioned Deadpool-themed gym equipment to raise funds for Your Space – a local organisation that helps children with autism.

They have also supported the Institute of Cancer Research.

And, touchingly, they donated £10,000 towards a £40,000 crowdfunder to adapt the home of a four-year-old Wrexham fan called Louis, who was born with a rare genetic condition which causes him to have painful leg spasms, limited mobility, epilepsy and cerebral palsy.

They are still planning to renovate the Racecourse Ground — which includes the building of a new stand at the Kop end.

At Birmingham, the American owners are spending a year righting the wrong of their disastrous first season where they somehow conspired to get Birmingham RELEGATED.

Sacking John Eustace while they were in the promotion play-off spots and replacing him with Wayne Rooney proved to be an utter disaster.

But they have thrown huge amounts of money at the problem and so far it is working with the team top of the table and five points clear of third with two games in hand.

There is a real feel-good factor around the blue noses… and regardless of tonight’s result, Birmingham are surely going to be back in the Championship next season with a clear ambition to get into the Premier League.

But how do the owners’ mad worlds compare? SunSport compares the millionaire owners…

ASTONISHING WEALTH

In terms of net worth, it’s Reynolds who is the daddy of them all.

The Hollywood movie star’s fortune has risen in the last few years thanks to the blockbuster Deadpool films, If and Bullet Train.

It’s not just in entertainment where Reynolds is thriving. A keen eye for business, he made a reported profit of £96m from the sale of Aviation Gin and also sold a 25 per cent stake in Mint Mobile last year.

All of that means Reynolds is believed to be worth around £300m.

His rival Brady is said to be worth £228m.

© Twentieth Century Fox 2016Reynolds earned much of his wealth from the Deadpool films[/caption]

GettyTom Brady won seven Super Bowls during his illustrious NFL career[/caption]

Most of the seven-time Super Bowl winner’s wealth was accumulated by his NFL playing career as a quarterback for the New England Patriots and later the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And that’s been boosted by a ten-year contract with Fox to commentate on NFL, worth a cool £285m.

Although McElhenney hasn’t quite got the same wealth as those two, the It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia creator has around £50m in the bank.

Last year, he and Reynolds also invested a 24 per cent equity stake in F1 team Alpine Racing.

FAMOUS WIVES

Reynolds is one half of a Hollywood super-couple.

He married Gossip Girl actress Blake Lively in a small, secret ceremony in 2012.

The Canadian was previously married to another beauty, Scarlett Johansson.

GettyReynolds is married to fellow Hollywood star Blake Lively[/caption]

The Mega AgencyThe couple got married in 2012[/caption]

GettyBrady and Gisele Bundchen separated in 2022[/caption]

GettyThe sporting great was briefly linked with dating Cristiano Ronaldo’s ex Irina Shayk[/caption]

PAMcElhenney met his wife Kaitlin Olson on the set of It’s Always Sunny[/caption]

McElhenney met future wife Kaitlin Olson on the set of It’s Always Sunny in 2005, and began dating a year later.

Brady was married to the most famous supermodel in the world, Gisele Bundchen until their shock split in 2022.

He soon started dating another model, Irina Shayk, who famously had romances with Cristiano Ronaldo and Bradley Cooper – but he is now believed to be single.

AMAZING MANSIONS

Reynolds and Lively spend most of their time on the East Coast of the USA, while Brady and McElhenney are based on the West Coast.

Ryan and Blake’s New York property boasts 11.65 acres, has an outdoor barn, with the main Colonial-style house measuring around 8,892 square feet.

It features seven bedrooms and six bathrooms, and reportedly cost around £4.4m.

Romain Maurice for The U.S. SunTom Brady has a mansion in LA but put his Miami pad went up for sale[/caption]

It is believed Brady has moved into a mega mansion in Los Angeles after it was renovated in the summer.

Spanning 14,000 feet, he purchased the land for a sum believed to be around £12m and then erected a home.

His former Miami home went up for sale for over £12m after his divorce from Gisele.

EPIC CAR COLLECTIONS

Reynolds and Brady are two petrolheads who love their motors.

The former sports star has an insane car collection worth a whopping £3.5m.

In his garage, you’ll find a Rolls Royce Ghost, two Aston Martins – a DB11 and a Vanquish Volante – a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport and a Ferrari M458-T.

On top of that, Brady has also been seen behind the wheel of an Audi R8, a Range Rover Sport and a Lexus.

Reynolds boasts a speedy Lamborghini Aventador in his collection that reaches a top speed of more than 217mph.

To get around in luxury with his family, the Van Wilder actor also has a huge Cadillac Escalade.

Always with an eye for the classics, Reynolds also added a super Mercedes-Benz 190 SL W121 to his collection.

It set him back a cool £121,000 and was produced between 1955 to 1963.

Lavish lifestyle, aside though, who has the better team? We’ll soon find out. 

GettyBrady owns a stunning car collection including a Bugatti Veyron[/caption]

CadillacReynolds and his family get around in their Cadillac Escalade[/caption]

GettyThe Lamborghini Aventador can hit a top speed of 217mph[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]