Ryan Reynolds' strange pre-match routine explained as Wrexham knock Forest out the FA Cup

Martin Macdonald

• 10 Jan 2026 05:45 CST
• 4 min read

Nieuws

Wrexham enjoyed one of the best nights in their recent history on Friday as they knocked Premier League side Nottingham Forest out of the FA Cup.

Since the takeover by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the club has gone on a sensational run of promotion after promotion after promotion to reach the English Championship, with dreams of one day gracing the Premier League for the first time.

At the moment, they are ninth in the Championship, just one point adrift of the playoffs.

The focus was the FA Cup on Friday, though, and Wrexham progressed in dramatic fashion on penalties after a 3-3 draw with Forest at the Racecourse Ground.

What a rollercoaster for Ryan Reynolds and Wrexham! 😅🎢 pic.twitter.com/HdlsAlczgX

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 10, 2026

Before the match, fans spotted Reynolds tearing up a couple of blades of grass from the pitch and putting them in his pocket. It's a pre-match ritual he and McElhenney have done before and, more than likely, will continue to do after yesterday's result.

The 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' star previously explained why he and Reynolds take these souvenirs.

“As I grow older, I recognise you must take time to take a breath and enjoy what it is you’re doing,” he told The Athletic.

“If we’re not taking stock of where we are and where we’ve come (from), then what is the point?

“I’m staring right now, in my office, at a thing my wife made for me for my birthday. When I get down on the pitch, I have a tendency to take some of the grass and put it in my pocket, so I have a keep-sake of the event.

“I’d keep them in these little plastic bags and put a piece of paper inside with the occasion (written on it). She stole them from the drawer I keep them in and took them to a (picture) framer. Now they are behind this air-sealed glass. They put some kind of chemical in the grass to keep (preserve) it and then there is a little plaque underneath each one.

“There’s my first home win I saw against Maidstone. The Hand of Foz — which is the Notts County game (Veteran keeper Ben Foster made a 96th-minute penalty save against Notts County last season). The National League title…”

Reynolds, meanwhile, told the Wrexham Podcast that it is his wife, Blake Lively, and his children than encourage the keepsakes.

"Blake [Lively – his wife] and the girls [their daughters] are the engine for this," the 'Deadpool' actor confessed.

"The girls always remind me 'Dad, grab some of the pitch when you walk across it again', but I also recognise that the Racecourse Ground is in certain senses a holy ground.

"So I like to bring a piece of that home every time. I don't think I'm building a man cave at this point, a Wrexham man cave, at this point it's just my house. That stuff is going wherever I am, Wrexham is one of the prides of my life."

During the summer, Wrexham spent £33 million on players which was more than the likes of European giants like Barcelona, Aston Villa, Lazio, Celtic, Rangers, Monaco and Valencia.

Ryan Reynolds seeking transfer advice from Man City

It has been reported that Reynolds has personally reached out Manchester City officials for transfer strategy advice, particularly on scouting.

A source previously told CEO Today of Reynolds: “Ryan is patient, but he’s also a perfectionist. He understands investment cycles - he built companies that way - but football is a different world. You can’t script form, luck, or goals.

“Reynolds, ever the networker, has reached out to contacts within Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City setup for advice on scouting and analytics.”

The report states Wrexham have “evolved into one of the most fascinating business experiments in sport - a masterclass in how storytelling and finance can collide, sometimes uncomfortably."

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