Don’t believe in fairy tales? Allow the story of Wrexham AFC to change your mind.
Among the oldest professional football teams in the world, Wrexham possess a storied history, filled with heritage, despair and newfound redemption.
The Red Dragons went from being one of the founding members of The Combination to toiling away in fourth-division obscurity during the 1960s.
Their fate as a non-league outfit seemed sealed until the tides began to change just 3 years ago, following a financial takeover by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Wrexham’s miraculous turnaround came to fruition this season, as the club finally found their way out of non-league Football by earning promotion as the National League champions.
The box-office tale will soon move onto its next chapter, and by the looks of it, Wrexham’s passionate owners are already busy recruiting for the challenges that lie ahead.
This came to light through a rather public plea from owner Rob McElhenney, who appears to have his sights set on bringing Wales and Real Madrid legend Gareth Bale to Wrexham.
The Champions League winner, known for his glittering spell as a Galactico, announced his retirement from Football following the conclusion of the Qatar World Cup. He also ended his association with MLS side LAFC in the process.
Naturally, the prospect of Bale returning to the game within months of official retirement is implausible, to say the least. Yet, that hasn’t stopped the actor from shooting his shot on multiple occasions.
His first attempt came after Bale sent a personalized message to the owners to congratulate Wrexham on their achievement.
In response, McElhenney tagged Bale and fronted an invitation for a round of Golf.
He also revealed his ulterior motive of signing the forward while sparing any hints of subtlety.
Bale retorted in flirtatious fashion, as he wrote ‘Depends what course…’ with the dotted lines leaving plenty to the imagination.
Despite the response’s ambiguous nature, fans ran with the idea of Bale joining Wrexham.
Some users online even suggested that the public exchanges between the pair served as sort of a transfer rollout.
Co-owner Ryan Reynolds joined in on the action as well, as he displayed his commitment towards recruiting Bale through a hilarious message.
The pair made their intentions ridiculously clear through their most recent Tweets on the matter, as both Reynolds and McElhenney shared an excellent edit featuring Bale in a Wrexham shirt.
If all of this build-up amounts to anything, we’re likely looking at one of the stories of next season.
Given the Welshman’s mercurial talents, Wrexham’s hopes of earning promotion to third-division Football will receive a huge boost, provided that Bale opts to postpone his retirement.