- Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney add third team to their portfolio
- Pair have partnered up with Eva Longoria, Justin Verlander and other A-listers
- The deal is worth more than $30m
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are at it again. Deadpool and Paddy’s Pub’s head of security have added a third soccer team to their growing portfolio. And this time they’ve enlisted the help of several famous friends.
Alongside Eva Longoria, Odell Beckham Jr., Kate Upton and San Francisco Giants pitcher Justin Verlander the pair have put together a $30m takeover of Colombia’s Club Deportivo La Equidad. The consortium is fronted by real estate investor Al Tylis and Sam Porter, who previously served as director of Welsh team Swansea City, who play their football in the English Championship, one tier above Reynolds and McElhenney’s Wrexham.
The deal for La Equidad means Reynolds and McElhenney are now invested in three clubs, following their takeover of Wrexham and investment in Mexican Liga MX outfit Necaxa.
Desperate Housewives star Longoria made an appearance at Wrexham’s opening game of the season, against Wycombe Wanderers, last August.
Discussing the takeover of La Equidad, who ply their trade in Colombia’s top division, Categoría Primera A, Porter said, Porter said, via Wales Online, “I am pleased to confirm that Al Tylis, our investment partners, and I have successfully acquired Club Deportivo La Equidad. This is an incredible opportunity to enhance the club’s growth in every aspect and to become an integral part of Colombian football.
“We are privileged to collaborate with an outstanding group of investors, including Eva Longoria, Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, and Shawn Marion, who have been instrumental in our project at Club Necaxa in Mexico. Together, we are committed to elevating the club to its highest potential.”
Reports of the takeover began swirling last year and have now come to fruition for the Bogota based team, who were founded in 1982 by an insurance company of the same name. Playing their games at the 10,000 capacity Estadio Metropolitano de Techo, La Equidad have never won the Colombian title, but they have won the Copa Colombia, in 2008 and have appeared in the Copa Sudamericana (the South American equivalent of the Europa League) on seven occasions.
Since buying Wrexham in 2020, Reynolds and McElhenney have enjoyed enormous success with the Welsh club, leading them back into the English Football League with back-to-back promotions in 2023 and 2024. The accompanying Welcome to Wrexham documentary series on Disney+ has also boosted the club’s visibility around the globe. A similar series, entitled Bienvenido a Necaxa (Welcome to Necaxa) has also been commissioned by FX and Disney+ Latin America, as first reported by Variety, with the pair and Longoria credited as executive producers.
