Celebrity World Cup? 5 stars who splurged on football clubs, from Ryan Reynolds’ docuseries on Wrexham FC and Elton John’s multimillion-dollar Watford FC deal, to Natalie Portman buying Angel City FC

The Fifa World Cup 2022 saw many celebs hooting for their favourite teams and hyping them up along with the crowds. It’s not uncommon for Hollywood celebs like Sylvester Stallone and Hugh Jackman, who are major football fans, to be seen cheering on their favourite players in the stadiums for different games when they are not on film sets. But some of these A-listers have gone beyond wearing their favourite teams’ jerseys and have even bought whole football clubs for millions of dollars. Here are five stars who own million-dollar football clubs with a dream to bring them to the top … 1. Matthew McConaughey – Austin FC Matthew McConaughey, the Oscar-winning star who starred in major box office hits like Interstellar and Wolf of Wall Street, became interested in football after he met his Brazilian wife, Camila Alves, says Foxsports, and it led him to invest in the Texas football team, Austin FC, in 2019, per Sports Promedia. It’s not specified exactly how much McConaughey spent for the investment, but the team is said to be valued at US$575 million, per Statista.com. The team kicked off its career in 2021 with a slow start, but things ramped up in 2022 when it became the club that achieved the second-most goals in the Major League, per the club’s website. McConaughey also made headlines when he hyped up the fans and the Austin FC’s players during one of their MLS (Major League Soccer) Championship games by mimicking the iconic song his character did in Martin Scorsese’s hit movie The Wolf of Wall Street. The cheer apparently worked, as Austin FC ended up making the biggest win in its professional career yet, says Talksport. But McCanoughey plans to go much further than just cheering for them. He has huge plans for the team and is focusing on making Austin FC a “legacy”, as per USA Today. 10 richest football stars of 2022: net worths, ranked – from Neymar to Messi 2. Will Ferrell – Los Angeles FC It’s not hard to see Will Ferrell having a hand in the sports world as a lot of his comedy films like Kicking & Screaming, Blades of Glory and Semi-pro are centred on the subject. Adding to that, he is also a major football fan. He is a huge supporter of the Chelsea football club and was hyping up the USMNT (United States Men’s National Soccer Team) in Brazil during the 2014 World Cup, as per Macra. He is also a big fan of the LAFC, a team which he later bought and became a shareholder of in 2016, per Cheatsheet. But this new move of his raised some eyebrows, per the same publication, leaving his followers and the public wondering if it was all just a publicity stunt for a new documentary. But Ferrell disproved these theories when he remained committed to the team by attending their matches and pushing them forward. He was also present when LAFC made its way to the top of the league and won the MLS 2022 World Cup. Ferrell celebrated the win with an OTT gesture we’ve come to expect from the humorous actor: drinking champagne from the trophy, states Marca. Will Ferrell drinks out of @MLS Cup 👏🤣 pic.twitter.com/yPnbsHpD5e — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 5, 2022 Due to its status, LAFC became the most valuable franchise in Major League history with an enormous US$860 million, per the team’s website. Its black and gold uniform is one of the most popular pieces of merchandise sold, too. 3. Elton John – Watford FC Long before today’s stars dabbled in sports teams, legendary singer and producer Elton John took hold of English football club Watford FC way back in the 1970s. John’s love for the team started at the age of five when he attended Watford’s matches with his father, says the Watford website. After standing at the pinnacle of fame, John bought the team and became its owner and chairperson in 1976 with a vision of making the club legendary. And thanks to John’s influence and the players’ talent, Watford went from 92nd in the Football League to the very top. The club climbed from the fourth to the first division, which was equal to the status of the Premier League. After achieving what he set out for, almost three decades later, John stepped down as chairman in 2002, but became the club’s honorary life-president and still supports them financially. His years of unrelenting service and commitment to the team were honoured with a stand in his name. The words of the chorus of “Your Song”, one of John’s hits, was written at the back of the stand as well. John called the occasion “one of the greatest days of my life”, per the team’s website. The club in all its glory is currently valued at US$160 million. 10 most expensive transfers in football history, from Ronaldo to Neymar 4. Natalie Portman – Angel City FC Oscar award-winning actress Natalie Portman created the Angel City FC women’s football team in 2020. The team is said to be one-of-a-kind because of its 24 owners that are all A-list celebs. The investors include big names like Serena Williams, Jessica Chastain, Becky G, Christina Aguilera, Billie Jean King and Eva Longoria, making it the largest female-led group in professional sports, reports CBS News. The team made its debut in the 2022 NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) games in Los Angeles and has received praise for its skills. But Portman’s vision of Angel City is a club that not only plays sports for the country, but also gives back to its community. The club donates 10 per cent of all its sponsorship revenue to local charities and has done other charitable work like delivering meals to the homeless, per British media. Angel City is valued at more than US$100 million, states Just Sports Women. 5. Ryan Reynolds – Wrexham FC Perhaps the most surprising football club owners are Ryan Reynolds and actor Rob McElhenney, who reportedly partnered up to invest US$2.5 million in taking over the Wrexham FC football club. The Deadpool star never publicly showed his love for the sport or fan-boyed at any high-profile events, so his million-dollar spending on a football club seemed like it came out of nowhere. Meet Christian Pulisic, the most expensive football player in the US at 24 Wrexham FC is known as an iconic Welsh football club and is one of the oldest high-ranking teams in the National League. The team has remained unbeaten for 17 consecutive games, states the club’s website. Reynold and McElhenny decided to shine the spotlight on the team and their journey to buying it by releasing a docuseries called Welcome to Wrexham, which details the exciting times and the ownership of the team and their journey. Want more stories like this? 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