Inside English football’s American revolution as Tom Brady joins Ryan Reynolds and Co in taking over across the Pond
IT’S been almost 250 years since America broke away from British rule with the Declaration of Independence.
But there’s now a revolution happening on the other side of the Atlantic, with Tom Brady becoming the latest soccer-loving Statesider to invest in English football.
NFL legend Tom Brady has invested in Championship side Birmingham CityInstagram @bcfc
The 46-year-old NFL legend is the newest US superstar to pump his own money into a Blighty-based team after becoming a joint owner of Birmingham City.
Here, SunSport’s Anthony Chapman looks at Brady and some of his compatriots who have dug out the dollars to bring a slice of Uncle Sam to these shores…
TOM BRADY – BIRMINGHAM CITY
RECORD seven-time Super Bowl winner has switched football codes by investing in Championship side Birmingham.
Worth a reported £400million, Brady will work directly with the club’s board after “entering into a partnership” with new owner Knighthead Capital Management LLC.
The ace, who recently retired from NFL after a stunning 23-year career, admitted he has got “a lot to learn” about the English game.
And he is likely to do his learning with a glamorous partner by his side, having been linked with Kim Kardashian and Irina Shayk following his split from Gisele Bundchen.
GettyCanadian Ryan Reynolds and American pal Rob McElhenney helped Wrexham climb up to League Two[/caption]
RYAN REYNOLDS & ROB McELHENNEY – WREXHAM
THE Hollywood movie star and cult comedy icon came together in unlikely circumstances to buy then-non-league Welsh side Wrexham for £2m in 2021.
Reynolds from Canada, and American partner McElhenney, who are both 46, documented the trials and tribulations of football ownership in TV show ‘Welcome to Wrexham.’
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But after play-off heartbreak in their first season, the American duo shed tears of joy as they watched their side win the National League title in April.
And Wrexham are now dreaming of glory in League Two, having played giants like Chelsea and Manchester United in a pre-season tour of the States.
AFPLeBron James has been involved at Liverpool since 2011[/caption]
LeBRON JAMES – LIVERPOOL
ARGUABLY the greatest basketball star in history, James made his move into the Premier League with Liverpool 12 years ago.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer purchased a two per cent stake in the Reds before buying an undisclosed amount of shares in 2021.
James, 38, even helped launch Liverpool’s new Nike kit following their 2019 title win under Jurgen Klopp.
And he will be hoping his four NBA Championships can inspire the Reds to silverware this season, with James also a part-owner of MLB giants Boston Red Sox.
GettyJJ Watt bought a minority investment in Burnley earlier this year[/caption]
JJ WATT – BURNLEY
ANOTHER NFL star who has swapped an oval ball for a round one.
The iconic defensive linesman, 34, got involved at Burnley earlier this year after Vincent Kompany’s men sealed their return to the top flight.
Watt and wife Kealia’s investment saw them take up a minority stake at Turf Moor.
But the Houston Texans legend was jokingly snubbed from Burnley’s new kit launch, with the Clarets admitting Watt couldn’t be trusted to keep the design a secret from fans on social media.
Michael B. Jordan was part of the consortium that took over Bournemouth at ChristmasRex
MICHAEL B. JORDAN – BOURNEMOUTH
A SCREEN Actors Guild winner, Tinseltown favourite Jordan was part of Bill Foley’s consortium that gave Bournemouth an early Christmas present in December after a takeover worth £150m.
Jordan knows a thing or two about adversity in sport, starring in Rocky spin-off Creed.
He’ll be hoping the Cherries’ season doesn’t go down to The Wire, having had a leading role in Season 1 of the smash-hit HBO show.
But after being named twice on Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, Jordan, 36, will give Bournemouth considerable pulling power to land their top targets.
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