BRADY VS REYNOLDS
Birmingham vs Wrexham: how do Tom Brady’s and Ryan Reynolds’ fortunes compare?
After Birmingham’s relegation to English soccer’s third tier was confirmed, the Tom Brady-owned club will come up against Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham.
Two A-list North American owners are poised to go head to head in English club soccer, after their teams moved in opposite directions in the country’s league pyramid this season.
Birmingham City, whose ownership group includes NFL legend Tom Brady, were this weekend relegated to League One, the third tier of England’s men’s game. As a result, the 2024/25 season will see Brady’s Blues cross paths with high-flying Wrexham, whose rise up the leagues continues under the stewardship of Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds and his co-owner, fellow actor Rob McElhenney.
Which celebrity owner is richer, Brady or Reynolds?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, a website that specialises in calculating the fortunes of the rich and famous, Brady and Reynolds boast comparable levels of wealth.
Brady is reported to be worth around $300 million, having become one of the world’s highest-paid athletes during his glittering, 23-year career in the NFL. Forbes estimates that the former quarterback’s combined on-field and off-field earnings had reached an annual $45.2 million when he announced his retirement from playing in February 2023.
In addition to his post-retirement role at Birmingham, Brady has signed a long-term deal to work as an NFL television analyst for Fox, penning a reported 10-year, $375 million contract with the network in May 2022. The California native’s business ventures also include minority stakes in NFL franchise the Las Vegas Raiders and WNBA team the Las Vegas Aces. In addition, he has created the TB12 lifestyle brand, and the NFT company Autograph.
Reynolds, meanwhile, is estimated by Celebrity Net Worth to have a fortune totalling around $350 million. When it comes to his acting career, the Canadian-American is best known for his star turn in the Deadpool film franchise - a role that reportedly netted him around $20 million for each of the series’ first two instalments. The third film in the superhero franchise, Deadpool & Wolverine, is due out in July this year.
Reynolds has also made several profitable business investments. Notably, the 47-year-old purchased minority stakes in gin brand Aviation Gin and mobile network operator Mint Mobile, both of which were then sold in big-money deals. He is reported to have netted nine-figure sums from both sales.
What has Brady said about Birmingham’s relegation?
Taking to the social-media platform X today, Brady described Birmingham as a club with “a long way to go” after the Midlanders’ drop into League One was confirmed, despite victory over Norwich City. “Thank you for your support in a tough first year Bluenoses,” wrote the 46-year-old. “We have a long way to go but it’s because of all of you that we’ll achieve great things in the future.”
Brady, who was a seven-time Super Bowl winner during his NFL career, has been a minority owner at Birmingham since August 2023. In a statement announcing his arrival, the club explained that Brady would “advise on health, nutrition, wellness, and recovery systems and programs”, in a bid to turn Birmingham into “a respected leader” in sports science.
Birmingham chairman Tom Wagner described Brady’s arrival at St Andrew’s as a “statement of intent” that the club’s leadership was “setting the bar at world class”, but conceded: “Success does not come overnight. It takes time.” With Birmingham now facing up to life outside England’s top two divisions for the first time since 1995, Wagner’s warning has certainly been borne out.
Reynolds, McElhenney flying high with Red Dragons
At Wrexham, on the other hand, Reynolds declared last month that he and McElhenney are enjoying the “ride of our lives”, after the Red Dragons made sure of a second straight promotion with a 6-0 thrashing of Forest Green Rovers. Having won the National League in 2022/23, the Welsh club finished second in League Two this term, to claim one of three automatic promotion spots. Wrexham haven’t played in the third tier of English league soccer since the 2004/05 season.
The club’s ascent under Reynolds and McElhenney, who took over at the Racecourse Ground in 2021, has been chronicled in the popular FX docuseries Welcome to Wrexham. The show’s third season premiered on Thursday 2 May.