11 April 2023 , 11:18
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It's no secret that Paul Mullin is Wrexham's star man - and even Hollywood royalty Ryan Reynolds is in awe of the prolific striker.
Those keeping an eye on Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's ownership at Wrexham will know that they regularly are left stunned by Mullin's goalscoring exploits. When they visited a game last season and Mullin was suspended, he was invited to sit next to the co-owners, who made it clear they are huge fans.
And it appears Mullin has well and truly cemented his spot as Deadpool star Reynolds' favourite player. Last week, Reynolds recalled how he "thought he was going to die" after Mullin's incredible goal against Stockport last season. On Easter Monday, the Hollywood star asked Mullin for his shirt and tucked it in his underwear after the 3-2 win over Notts County.
After the game, Reynolds pulled Mullin for a brief chat on the pitch where he made the request for his shirt. The footage, provided by BT Sport, the ex-Cambridge forward duly oblige before Reynolds posed for a photo with Mullin's no.10 shirt.
When quizzed on why he gave up his match-worn shirt, Mullin could be heard saying: "I can't say no can I?" Reynolds then decided to fold up the shirt and tuck it into his trousers, before giving the striker a warm hug.
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Ben Tozer was watching along and said: "Mulls, I wouldn't fine him for that!" It was a comment that caused laughter between the trio, with Mullin once again doubling down on why he decided to give him his shirt.
Fans joked after the game that Blake Lively, Reynolds' wife, should be worried about his love for Mullin. "And he tucked it next to his skin to feel even closer," wrote one Twitter user. "should @blakelively be worried…?"
(Getty Images)Another fan pointed out: "Ryan looked genuinely chuffed to be waving that shirt with the fans after the game. Hope Rob got Elliot Lee's. A third commented: "Genuine football club owners really support the club they have come to love!" while a fourth added: "I'm gonna cry again."
The Red Dragons came out on top in a thrilling National League table-topping affair at the Racecourse Ground after Ben Foster saved an injury-time penalty. Mullin, Jacob Mendy and Elliot Lee struck for Phil Parkinson's side as they scraped past a Notts side to move back three points clear at the top of the fifth-tier.
Wrexham also have a game in hand on Notts and look all but set to secure their return to League Two for the first time in 15 years, despite losing 3-1 at Halifax on Good Friday. They have four massive matches to go in their push for promotion and need seven points to guarantee their place in the fourth-tier.
Ryan Reynolds with Paul Mullin's shirt (Getty Images)It is safe to say Reynolds, who took over in February 2021, has done terrifically well to turn Wrexham from a play-off chasing side into title challengers within a short space of time. They missed out on automatic promotion last season but now it feels like they are nearly there following the narrow win over Notts.
Mullin has played a huge role and Reynolds wasn't the only one to heap praise on the top scorer, with ex-Manchester United stopper Ben Foster hailing the striker in his post-match interview. Foster labelled Mullin as the "non-league Jamie Vardy" in glowing praise of the 44-goal front man.
Foster said: "He is like the non-league Jamie Vardy. Has he been called that before? He should be called that. He never stops running, he has got a Duracell battery inside of him. He gets on with his job as well. Sometimes strikers are a bit big time, has an ego, but he is the opposite."
Wrexham are next in action when they travel to Barnet on Saturday and they could take a step closer to winning the National League. Notts, meanwhile, face Woking - with both matches live on BT Sport.