Premier League cult hero, 47, reveals he helped rescue Wrexham from oblivion before Ryan Reynolds takeover

CRAIG BELLAMY has revealed how he once donated money to Wrexham to help save the Welsh club from dropping out of the Football League.

The Wales boss was defending his commitment to his country after revealing he rejected the chance to become Burnley manager this summer.

said in a Wales press conference ahead of the upcoming Nations League matches: “I donated money to (in 2007).

“They stayed in the league. So my commitment with Wales, I don’t believe I have to ever try and win anyone over with that. It’s there.”

Bellamy’s intervention came in March 2007, when were second-bottom of League Two and fighting desperately to preserve their Football League status.

made what the club described as a “very generous donation,” with the exact sum never publicly disclosed.

The cash allowed Wrexham to bring in THREE loan players before the transfer deadline, and they stayed up.

Bellamy said at the time that, as a “proud Welshman and supporter of Welsh football”, it was important to him that Wrexham retained their Football League place.

His intervention helped them do exactly that, with the Red Dragons eventually surviving on the final day of the 2006-07 season.

But their reprieve proved temporary and Wrexham were relegated to non-league the following year.

Fixtures Results Table

Friday 18 September

Brentford

20:00

EPL

Chelsea

Saturday 19 September

Spurs

12:30

EPL

Villa

Brighton

15:00

EPL

Arsenal

Everton

15:00

EPL

Ipswich

Newcastle

15:00

EPL

Hull

Forest

17:30

EPL

Coventry

Monday 14 September

Sunday 13 September

Saturday 12 September

English Premier League Pld Pts GD W D L Form

1

4

12

7

4

0

0

2

4

12

6

4

0

0

3

4

8

4

2

2

0

4

4

8

3

2

2

0

5

4

7

8

2

1

1

6

4

7

1

2

1

1

7

4

6

3

1

3

0

8

4

6

2

1

3

0

They spent a painful 15 YEARS outside the EFL before their fortunes were transformed by two unlikely figures from Hollywood.

Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator Rob McElhenney completed their takeover in February 2021, buying the club from the Wrexham Supporters Trust and initially investing £2million.

Their extraordinary project – chronicled around the world through hit documentary Welcome to Wrexham – eventually produced one of English football’s most remarkable rises.

Under boss Phil Parkinson, Wrexham won the National League with 111 points in 2023 to finally return to the Football League.

They did not stop there, earning promotion from League Two at the first attempt before finishing second in League One in 2024-25.

Wrexham narrowly missed out on the Championship play-offs in their first season back in the second tier and remain there this season.