David Beckham was 'given some s***' by Rob McElhenney after Wrexham U-turn

Daily Mirror

12-05-2025

David Beckham was in attendance as Wrexham took on Birmingham City in September 2024, with Red Dragons co-owner Rob McElhenney making sure to remind him of his loyalties
Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney has revealed how he took a playful dig at David Beckham for switching his loyalties. Beckham showed his love for Wrexham when he joined McElhenney and fellow owner Ryan Reynolds to watch them play at Wembley in May 2022.
But the mood shifted when the Manchester United legend turned up at the Welsh side's away game against Birmingham City in September as a guest of Blues minority owner Tom Brady. Inter Miami co-owner Beckham sat next to the NFL icon in the home end at St. Andrew's stadium during the League One clash.
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McElhenney, star of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", was also there and didn't miss the chance to rib Beckham about changing sides. Despite Wrexham losing 3-1 on the night, McElhenney insists it was all part of the learning curve after mingling with Birmingham's owners, including American hedge fund chief Tom Wagner, after the match.
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Speaking on the " Men in Blazers" podcast, McElhenney said: "I gave Beckham some s*** for changing allegiances. He came to our game first, and then I guess he went to go see Tom (Brady), but we actually had a blast. The pre-game was fun and I spent a lot of time with Tom, and also Tom Wagner, who's a fantastic guy.
"At half time we were still feeling pretty good. It was 1-1 at that point and then the second half was kind of brutal. I sat right in the stands, and I think I was actually treated really well. There was a chorus of boos and some heckling from here and there, but at the end of the day, I think people respected my safety.
"It turned out to be a great night, simply because I got to spend so much time with their team afterwards, talking to Tom Wagner, and just listening to him and what they're building."
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The 2024/25 season finished on a high for both clubs, with Birmingham securing the League One title after amassing a spectacular 111 points. Wrexham also clinched promotion to the Championship, despite trailing the leaders by 19 points in second place.
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McElhenney acknowledged the considerable gap between Birmingham and the rest of the pack, which he said was evident as early as September, despite Wrexham's unbeaten streak until then.
He said: "I learned that there was a vast divide between us and Birmingham at the time, and we knew that there was a reckoning coming at a certain point, simply because we had been playing so well and had blasted out of the gates.
"We knew that we had built a solid squad, but I don't know that we built a squad that was going to come out and be able to dominate. To go to Birmingham with that roster that they had, and to even compete was going to be a challenge."