NFL great Tom Brady got the better of movie stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in the unlikely surroundings of English third-tier football as Birmingham beat Wrexham 3-1 in the ‘Hollywood derby’ on Monday. Brady is a minority shareholder in promotion-chasing Birmingham, while Reynolds and McElhenney are co-owners of League One leaders Wrexham.
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The clash at Birmingham’s St Andrew’s ground featured considerably more off-field star power in the stands than was present on the pitch.
Brady was seated next to former England football captain David Beckham, one of Beckham’s sons and high-profile pundit Gary Neville, who played alongside Beckham for both Manchester United and England.
McElhenney was also present as Wrexham suffered their first league loss of the season, while Birmingham remained unbeaten.
Deadpool star Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor McElhenney bought Wrexham in 2020, with their surprise takeover chronicled in the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ docu-series that gave the previously unheralded Welsh club a global cult following.
Wrexham have since enjoyed a remarkable rise from the fifth-tier National League to League One with back-to-back promotions.
Birmingham, by contrast, have endured the darkest period in their recent history since Brady was involved in a 2023 takeover headed by his friend Tom Wagner, a US-based businessman.
Brady, who retired in 2023 after 23 seasons in the NFL, was a seven-time Super Bowl champion as quarterback for the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But Birmingham were relegated to League One last season for the first time since 1995, with Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney — sacked following a miserable 83-day reign — among six managers used by the Blues in a chaotic campaign.
Former Tottenham assistant coach Chris Davies appears to be restoring order, however, with Monday’s win taking Birmingham level on points with Wrexham, with a game in hand.
Jack Marriott gave Wrexham an early lead but £10 million ($13 million) signing Jay Stansfield went some way to repaying an expensive transfer fee by equalising for Birmingham and later heading the hosts in front in the 52nd minute.
Seven minutes later, Japan midfielder Tomoki Iwata’s superb strike made it 3-1.
But, as with all the best Hollywood thrillers, there was a late twist, with Birmingham reduced to 10 men when Krystian Bielik was sent off for a second yellow card after a reckless challenge on Andy Cannon.
Even so, there was never any danger of Wrexham masterminding the kind of ‘comeback drive’ associated with Brady’s stellar career as the sportsman’s team defeated the actors’ side.
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