Ben Foster reveals surprising amount Ryan Reynolds is paying him to play for Wrexham

In one of the most interesting business and football deals of all time, former England international Ben Foster has decided to come out of retirement to play for Wrexham. The club, which is owned by Hollywood superstars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElheny, has been making a lot of headlines with its success on the pitch.

Foster's return to football has sparked excitement among Wrexham fans, who have been following the club's progress since it was taken over by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Ben Foster's high-profile career

Ben Foster has had an impressive football career, having played for several Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, Birmingham, West Brom, and Watford. Over the course of his career, Foster has made over 500 club appearances. He also represented England on eight occasions.

After leaving Watford at the end of the 2020-21 season due to the club's delegation, Foster announced his retirement from football at the age of 38. He decided to focus on his YouTube channel, The Fozcast, which he started during the pandemic. The channel, which mainly features videos of Foster talking to some of YouTube & Sports biggest personalities, instantly became a popular channel, and has now reached nearly 200k subscribers on Youtube.

Previously, the Premier League rules prevented Foster's potential move to his boyhood club Tottenham in January 2022, despite Spurs' interest in signing an experienced goalkeeper to provide cover for the injured Hugo Lloris.

According to the Evening Standard, Premier League regulations state that clubs can only acquire players outside of the transfer window if they can demonstrate that they have encountered an injury crisis. Tottenham's appeal to sign Foster was rejected by the Premier League, which deemed that the team already had Fraser Forster as sufficient backup for Lloris.

Why Ben Foster returns to football

Wrexham are three points ahead of title rivals Notts County and have a game in hand, as well as seven fixtures remaining. However, the club's most recent and rather surprising success is luring a top-league goalkeeper like Foster into such a low league the club is competing at. Foster’s agent, Richard Lee, tells The Athletic:

'It’s funny how things work in football. It’s one of the most creative deals I’ve been involved in.'

Foster's return to football has surprised many, but the goalkeeper revealed that he could not resist the opportunity to play for Wrexham again. Foster had previously played for Wrexham on loan in 2005, and he credits the club for giving him a chance to showcase his talent.

In an interview with Wrexham's official website, Foster recalled his first spell at Wrexham:

'The first time I was here, it was genuinely the springboard to the rest of my career – on the back of the loan move, playing in the LDV Vans Trophy Final at the Millennium Stadium, I got my move to Manchester United at the start of the next season. It was absolutely bonkers!'

Foster also revealed that he was impressed with the club's new owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. He said:

'From my early experiences, the two US-based owners are ‘genuinely interested’ in growing the club.'

Surprising salary for at Wrexham

It's unclear what his salary at Wrexham is, but according to the Guardian, National League clubs have a salary cap of £1.5 million per season, which is significantly lower than the £30,000 per week he earned at Watford in the Premier League.

However, his return to Wrexham could be more about his love for the club and the game than about money. The former Manchester United star spoke frankly:

'I don’t need much [money]. To be honest, the negotiations took about five minutes. Wages wise, it’s literally peanuts… the part for me is getting the team over the line and getting them promoted. I'm a very low maintenance player. Just wheel me out, I'll do a job.'

Foster's move to Wrexham has also given him the opportunity to meet Hollywood star and club co-owner Ryan Reynolds.

Speaking on talkSPORT Drive, Foster said:

'He [Reynolds] actually slid into my DMs today once the news was announced…I’m buzzing I’ve got Ryan Reynolds in there, I ain’t even replied to him! I’ll leave him hanging for a bit!'

Foster acknowledged that he initiated contact with Reynolds via direct messages when the Hollywood actor initially became the owner of the club. And after his clean sheet debut, Foster said:

'No, doddle mate. 3-0, clean sheet, bosh. Just met Ryan Reynolds in the tunnel. Don’t get much better than that. Going out for a lovely dinner tonight, lovely Saturday that.'

Read more:

⋙ Paul Mullin: This is how much actor Ryan Reynolds pays the Wrexham player

⋙ Ryan Reynolds' football club can make it to England's highest league very soon