The scene was set for a Hollywood ending. Wrexham FC, the struggling National League side rescued by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, was playing in the FA Trophy final at Wembley, the UK's biggest stadium, hoping to get promoted from the fifth to the fourth tier of English football.
Ryan and Rob were in the crowd; so were Will Ferrell, Blake Lively and David Beckham. Looking down over Wembley’s hallowed turf, the superstars dared to dream. But first: adversity. Michael Cheek put Bromley ahead in the 64th minute. Surely just the set up to a nail biting finish. What script would be complete without it?
Then, glory: with extra time looming, Wrexham substitute Jack Hyde headed one home from close range. Euphoria erupted in the stands… then quickly turned into a groan as the goal was ruled offside.
Except… Ryan and Rob kept celebrating, whooping and hugging each other in their private box. Had they… could they… didn't they know what the offside rule was?!
“Someone needs to explains the offside rule to the A-listers,” frowned the BT Sports commentator.
Look, you’d have to be pretty miserable – or, at least, a Bromley fan – not to be intrigued by Ryan Reynolds’ real life Ted Lasso act over at Wrexham. The Deadpool star found £2m of pocket change to invest in the beleaguered club back in 2020 and results quickly started improving on the pitch. “It seemed like an interesting proposition,” Reynolds said on British television a while back, “we were looking at a bunch of different teams and the thing for me that really struck a chord about Wrexham was how intrinsically tied communities are to their football club.”
But this weekend, the world of boundless Hollywood optimism came up against the grinding reality of English football, which for most fans, most of the time, is not about glory but being apprenticed into life’s harsher lessons: heartbreak, disappointment and occasional humiliation. Like not knowing the offside rule.
Luckily, Wrexham has a second shot at glory in the playoffs: the club will host either Notts County of Grimsby Town in the semi-final next Saturday. The Hollywood ending could yet materialize.
This story originally ran on British GQ with the title “Ryan Reynolds misunderstands the offside rule in Wrexham's FA Trophy final; delights the nation.”
