Jay Rodriguez reveals Ryan Reynolds chat after Wrexham AFC, Burnley agreement | OneFootball

The 35-year-old has followed the Red Dragons since their Hollywood takeover

Nearly six years after his return to Burnley, Jay Rodriguez had planned to retire at Turf Moor. That was until an unlikely approach came in for him from League One high-flyers, Wrexham.

The 35-year-old spoke with The Athletic nearly two months on from his late January move to the Racecourse Ground about how he hopes to play his part in a possible third straight promotion for Wrexham, despite having yet to score in his eight League One appearances for Phil Parkinson's side.

Rodriguez didn't need much time to get to know the story of Wrexham, having followed the club loosely since Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny took over in September 2020, and a phone call from Deadpool star Reynolds shortly after his arrival helped him settle in even further.

Jay Rodriguez's fairytale ending underwent slight changes after Wrexham move

According to The Athletic, Rodriguez described his time at Burnley as "like a fairytale."

"A dream for a young lad to represent his hometown club. To then come back like I did was the icing on the cake. In my eyes, I was probably going to retire there," he said.

However, like all good stories, there's always a twist at the end, as the one-time England international made the switch to north-east Wales for his first taste of League One football. It was a club with which he was already familiar, having loosely followed Wrexham's meteoric rise under the ownership of co-chairmen Rob McElhenny and Ryan Reynolds.

"I was already willing Wrexham to do well from afar because it's such a great story," the 35-year-old said. "It's why I felt really flattered when they came in for me.

"[Wrexham] is a big family club, like Burnley. The two towns are similar in that they're working-class and the people get their heads down and work hard. That's been the basis of life, not just my career."

Similar life values have made it easy for Rodriguez to settle in at the club. Additionally, a phone call from Ryan Reynolds shortly after the deal was made likely helped, too.

"[Reynolds] said how happy he was at me joining and how, if I needed anything, he's just on the end of a phone. He then started explaining how special the club and the area are to him. [It was] a really nice chat."

Rodriguez hopes to help his new side achieve third straight promotion

Rodriguez has started each of the eight League One games Wrexham have played since he arrived in late-January.

Despite only having one assist to show in those eight games, Wrexham have picked up five wins and 16 points as they strive to find themselves in the top two by the end of the season.

"I haven't scored yet, and as a striker, I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me," Rodriguez said. "But I don't think it affects my game.

"I'm just happy to help the team. For me, the bottom line after a game is whether we have the three points."

Wrexham have already made up six points on Wycombe Wanderers in second place since the former Burnley man made the switch to the Racecourse Ground.

If Phil Parkinson's side can continue their 2.0 point-per-game average since Rodriguez joined the club through the final ten games of the League One season, an unbelievable third straight promotion may well be on the cards.