Paul Rudd joins football fans for a pint in Wrexham before match

Paul Rudd has become the latest Hollywood star to be spotted in Wrexham to cheer on the football team, before a crucial game against Boreham Wood.

The Ant-Man actor, 54, was spotted in the north Welsh town on Saturday drinking beer and singing songs with Wrexham AFC fans at the Turf pub, next to the team’s Racecourse Ground.

The pivotal National League game will see the winner secure automatic promotion to League Two, the third tier of English football.

Lee Ndlovu scored the game’s opening goal for Boreham Wood after only one minute.

Ryan Reynolds, who bought Wrexham with fellow actor Rob McElhenney in February 2021, acknowledged beforehand that he was “terribly nervous” about the game.

Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds (left) and Paul Rudd in the stands during the Vanarama National League match at the Racecourse Ground. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

Paul Novielli, from Kentucky, US, on his fourth trip to Wrexham, took a selfie with Rudd and Sandy, a fan from Canada, at the Turf and described the actor as “super nice”.

Novielli told the PA news agency: “[I] just said: ‘Hi, can you take a picture?’; he said ‘Yeah’ … I asked if he’s having a good time and he said ‘Amazing.’”

The 37-year-old, who runs a podcast called Up the Town dedicated to Wrexham AFC, said Rudd joined in with pre-match songs including Super Paul Mullin and Allez Allez Allez.

“He sat with Wayne [Jones, the pub’s owner] from the Turf for a bit and did some sing songs,” Novielli added.

“[He] engaged with a lot of people, took pictures – he was super nice.”

Fans of the team have become accustomed to seeing high-profile individuals at the ground since the takeover by Deadpool star Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-creator McElhenney.

In February, the actor Will Ferrell was pictured having a pint of beer with football fans on his first visit to Wrexham to watch the team.

Pictures posted on social media showed Ferrell also enjoying a drink in the Turf, which featured in the Disney+ documentary about the north Wales club, Welcome to Wrexham.

The 55-year-old was also pitch-side at the Racecourse Ground to watch the team’s 3-1 victory in the National League match against Wealdstone FC.

Ferrell and Reynolds starred together in the 2022 Christmas film Spirited.