The seven former Premier League stars that Ryan Reynolds signed for a special Wrexham tournament in 2024

Wrexham have enjoyed a remarkable year on the pitch, but Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have also been busy boosting the profile of the Red Dragons off the field.
Wrexham won promotion from League Two in April and have continued their momentum into the higher division as they eye a third consecutive promotion under Phil Parkinson.

Future-proofing investments such as the announcement of Wrexham’s new academy facility, alongside the ongoing success of ‘Welcome to Wrexham’, have left the Red Dragons in an ideal position to continue their remarkable success.
It seems that Reynolds and McElhenney can do no wrong when it comes to Wrexham, which was evident in June as they convinced seven former Premier League stars to play for Wrexham in a seven-a-side tournament in the United States.
Here are the seven Premier League legends that formed the ‘Wrexham Red Dragons’ at the 2024 TST Tournament.

David Jones
Formally of the Wrexham Academy, Welsh midfielder David Jones switched the Racecourse Ground for Old Trafford as he joined Manchester United.
Despite never making a league appearance for the club, Jones would have a fruitful Premier League career with Wolves, Wigan and Burnley, making over 100 appearances in the competition.
Jones finished his career where it started, returning to Wrexham as a player-coach. He is now a permanent member of Parkinson’s Wrexham coaching staff.

Elliott Bennett
After playing 33 times in League One for Shrewsbury Town during the 23/24 season, Elliott Bennett packed his bags and joined the Wrexham Red Dragons set up in North Carolina.
Bennett had a mixed record at Premier League level with Norwich City, with injuries often preventing him from becoming an ever-present. He made 33 appearances in his first season at the level in the 11/12 season but never replicated those numbers due to injuries.
The right-back is still playing football, signing for Midland League side Shifnal Town after returning from the States.

Bradley Johnson
Bennett reunited with his Norwich teammate Bradley Johnson for Wrexham, who made a stronger impression in the Premier League. Johnson made 97 appearances across Norwich’s three-season spell in the top division, before making a move to Derby County in 2015.
Johnson’s midfield prowess was evident throughout his career in the EFL, making him the sort of player who could’ve thrived in the current Wrexham squad under Parkinson.

Gary Hooper
Completing a trifecta of Norwich talent was Gary Hooper, who struggled in the Premier League following his move from Celtic.
Hooper only scored six Premier League goals for Norwich after being prolific in Scottish football, even scoring for Celtic in the Champions League.
Boasting over 200 career goals, Hooper went on to play football in Australia, India and Cyprus before joining up with the Red Dragons in 2024. Reynolds and McElhenney want to sign a striker in the January window and could do much worse than one of Hooper’s pedigree.

George Boyd
At a similar time to Hooper, Johnson and Bennett, Scottish midfielder George Boyd was also plying his trade in the Premier League.
He enjoyed three successful seasons in the top division, first with Hull City and then with Burnley, with the former seeing him called up for the Scottish National Team.
With the Wrexham Red Dragons, Boyd was the key contributor of goals, scoring five in the team’s run to the last 16 of the tournament.

Roger Espinoza
Whilst he didn’t spend much time in the Premier League, Roger Espinoza certainly made a lasting impact at Wigan Athletic.
Signing in January 2013, Espinoza played 12 times in the Premier League as Wigan were relegated at the end of the season. However, his most important contribution came in The Latics’ FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City, where he played out of position at wing-back to help his side upset the odds.
After Wigan, Espinoza returned to Sporting Kansas City and enjoyed a fruitful career in the MLS, making the transition to playing for Wrexham in the TST Tournament in North Carolina an easy one.

Maynor Figueroa
Perhaps the most high-profile member of the squad was Maynor Figueroa, with the legendary Honduran defender joining up with the Wrexham Red Dragons.
Another ex-Wigan man, Figueroa made 179 Premier League appearances for the Latics, winning the Premier League Goal of the Season in the 2009/10 season with a remarkable halfway line strike against Stoke City.