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Hugh Jackman next to Norwich City soccer players
Hugh Jackman has spent years pretending to hate Ryan Reynolds on camera, and apparently he has found a way to make the rivalry slightly more legitimate. Jackman says he is actively discussing buying a stake in Norwich City, which would put him in the same English soccer division as Reynolds’ Wrexham.
The Deadpool & Wolverine co-stars could therefore go from insulting each other during movie promotions to owning pieces of opposing Championship clubs. Jackman revealed during a talkSPORT interview that he is “very, very interested” in investing in Norwich and is talking about it right now.
Hugh Jackman Has Apparently Picked His Side
This is not Jackman randomly Googling English soccer teams and choosing whichever badge looked coolest.
His mother is from Norwich, and Jackman has supported the Canaries since childhood while growing up in Australia. He has visited Carrow Road and has previously talked about following the club from the other side of the world.
He even had an earlier opportunity to get involved financially.
Jackman says he was approached about investing in Norwich around 2010 but turned it down, a decision that apparently looks much less appealing after watching Reynolds and Rob McElhenney transform Wrexham from a fifth-tier club into a force to be reckoned with.
Norwich itself is already under American-controlled ownership. Milwaukee Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio’s Norfolk Holdings increased its stake to 85.2%, while longtime owners Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones retained 10%, according to the club’s ownership records.
Jackman would therefore be buying a minority piece rather than pulling a Reynolds and taking over the entire operation.
Still counts.
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The timing could not be much better for the bit.
Wrexham and Norwich are both playing in the Championship this season, meaning Jackman would immediately own part of a club that competes directly against his friend’s team.
Reynolds and McElhenney completed their Wrexham takeover in 2021 and eventually oversaw three consecutive promotions that carried the club from the National League all the way into England’s second tier.
Now Wolverine wants in.
Jackman has already leaned into it, essentially telling Reynolds to enjoy Wrexham because he is firmly on Team Canaries. He also predicted that both clubs will earn promotion to the Premier League this season, which would be a convenient way to keep the celebrity-owner rivalry alive at an even more expensive level.
There is obviously still a major step between discussing an investment and actually purchasing shares. Norwich has confirmed that conversations with its American ownership group are ongoing, but no deal or financial terms have been announced.
If it happens, though, English soccer gets a storyline that Netflix executives would probably reject for being slightly too obvious.