Copyright dailystar
Wrexham are set to face Cardiff City in an all-Welsh Carabao Cup showdown on Tuesday - the first time the Ryan Reynolds -owned side have met the Bluebirds in 21 years. The Red Dragons , currently sitting 16th in the Championship , have experienced a remarkable ascent in recent years , leaping from non-league to the second tier of British football in just three seasons. This impressive feat has been achieved under the stewardship of Hollywood stars Reynolds and Rob Mac, who have helped catapult Wrexham into the limelight. Deadpool actor Reynolds has built a particular association with the city, leveraging his film star status, global appeal and substantial wealth to enhance Wrexham's international brand. As his club prepare to take on the League One side , here's a rundown of everything you need to know about the Canadian star's life off the pitch, from his staggering net worth to high-profile relationships. Reynolds, one of four brothers, was born in Canada in October 1976 into an Irish Catholic family. He ventured into acting as a young teenager but didn't have his breakthrough moment until 2002 at the age of 25. He landed the lead role in National Lampoon's Van Wilder, a film centred around a popular college student plagued by a fear of graduating. He later starred in Just Friends , Definitely, Maybe , and The Proposal , cementing his reputation as a romcom feature star. Reynolds secured a leading role in superhero film Green Lantern in 2011. However, it was his performance in Deadpool in 2016 that catapulted him to Hollywood superstardom in the action-comedy blockbuster genre. The X-rated Marvel film had a modest budget of just £47million but pulled in an impressive £633.9m at the box office. Reynolds has since starred in two more successful Deadpool films and is set to reprise his role as Wade Wilson in the forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday film, slated for release in 2026. Reynolds' lucrative film contracts and various off-screen business ventures have contributed to an astounding net worth of more than £300m. For Deadpool and Wolverine alone, Reynolds received £68m to produce, co-write and star in the spin-off film, and with further instalments in the franchise planned, there's more potential earnings for the Canadian actor. Beyond acting, Reynolds has been industriously amassing wealth, acquiring a 20% stake in Aviation Gin and helping to transform it into a globally recognised brand. Five years ago, Diageo, one of the world's leading alcoholic beverage companies, purchased the company in a deal worth £486m. Reynolds cashed in his shares at Mint Mobile, selling them to T-Mobile for a cool £243m, with the deal itself being valued at a whopping £1.09billion. Meanwhile, Mac and Reynolds have invested a hefty £20m into Wrexham, but it's proved to be money well spent, raking in an additional £8m in television revenue alone from their Disney+ series, 'Welcome To Wrexham'. Around the time he was making waves as Van Wilder, Reynolds was romantically linked to singer Alanis Morissette. The pair first crossed paths at Drew Barrymore's birthday bash in 2002, leading to an engagement in 2004, only to part ways three years later. Next, Reynolds found love with Scarlett Johansson, one of Hollywood's brightest stars. They tied the knot in September 2008, but by 2010 they had divorced, citing career pressures and limited time together as reasons. There was also a significant age difference between the two, with Reynolds in his early thirties and Johansson in her early twenties. Rumours swirled about Reynolds' romantic entanglements with other celebrities such as Sandra Bullock, Melissa Joan Hart and Charlize Theron, before he met his future wife, Blake Lively, on the set of Green Lantern. The couple exchanged vows in 2012, a year after the film hit the screens. Reynolds and Lively, known for her role as Serena van der Woodsen in the popular series Gossip Girl, share four children. The couple share a playful dynamic in their relationship, frequently making fun of each other across social media platforms. Lively has also become deeply invested in Reynolds' ventures at Wrexham and was there to witness the club's historic promotion to the Championship earlier this year. "Back to back to back," she wrote in a heartfelt message to Reynolds, Mac and the squad. "History was made. Congratulations to @wrexham_afc. I will never forget the love and elation in that town today. Thank you for sharing it with us always. "And to these two men, @robmcelhenney and @vancityreynolds ... the love and respect that pours out of you each and together exponentially grows and creates more joy, more possibilities, more magic, more history. This picture feels to me like a painting of all you do for so many, while being so present and appreciative of every moment."
