Eva Longoria breaks silence after buying into club with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

The "Desperate Housewives" star has teamed up with the Wrexham co-owners and the glamourous Tylis-Po (Image: Leon Bennett/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)

Hollywood meets football as Eva Longoria reveals her exciting venture into soccer club ownership alongside Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The "Desperate Housewives" star has teamed up with the Wrexham co-owners and the glamourous Tylis-Porter investment ensemble to take a significant chunk of Bogota's La Equidad, splashing out over $30million last month for an impressive 99 per cent stake in the top-tier Colombian team.

Justin Verlander, Kate Upton and Odell Beckham Jr are also in on the deal with the group led by power duo Al Tylis and Sam Porter. This isn't Reynolds and McElhenney's first football flirtation; they've previously nabbed around half of Mexico's Club Necaxa, and even traded a 5 per cent slice of Wrexham to the Liga MX outfit's owners.

The charismatic Eva Longoria shared the limelight with Reynolds at Wrexham's season opener in August and now opens up to The Athletic about the lure of the beautiful game for North American celebs and her dual focus on smart investments and wielding her influence to boost the clubs' profile: "My approach to it is as an entrepreneur," she said.

"We can do a good investment and at the same time I can make a difference with my platform to get more press, sponsorships and media coverage that help the investment."

"I feel like sports is entertainment. Storytelling through soccer is so powerful because the stakes are so high. The drama of winning and losing, injuries, firing a coach, bringing in a new player - the excitement is built-in drama."

"You could never write this. I was like, 'Wow, this is this is the biggest soap opera I've ever seen' Every player has a story. Every team has a story. Every town has a story."

Eva Longoria at Wrexham's game against Wycombe in August 2024 (Image: undefined)

Following the success of the 'Welcome to Wrexham' documentary, charting Reynolds and McElhenney's journey with their Welsh team, Necaxa's owners have already filmed their own docuseries. Entitled 'Bienvenido a Necaxa' (Welcome to Necaxa), it is set to be a hit on FX and Disney+ Latin America, reports Mirror US. 

Amongst the big names serving as executive producers are none other than Longoria, Reynolds, and McElhenney, who are slated to make appearances before the cameras. Longoria herself confessed to taking an immersive role in Necaxa's saga, from scrutinising their matches to regularly communicating with the head coach and squad members.

Eva Longoria divulged her behind-the-scenes insights into Tylis and Porter's analytical tactics in managing sports teams, following their acquisition of La Equidad. She shared, "I sat with Sam and Al in New York. Sam is the Moneyball guy, like the Bill Gates of sports. I know Colombia is a country with a very rich soccer history and an immense amount of talent."

"Everybody's invested in their hometown team. It's been interesting to approach sports with this analytical lens instead of just being like, 'My favorite team is Real Madrid or the Dallas Cowboys,'" "But to really get granular and analytical about players, wins, losses, rankings and playoff spots, that to me is fascinating. I just get blown away by the process. I don't think I'll be stopping anytime soon."

Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney (Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

While Welcome to Wrexham has been a huge success, Longoria voiced caution over using TV shows to elevate sports teams as a one-size-fits-all approach. She intends to visit Bogota in person before deciding whether to pursue a series on La Equidad.

Meanwhile, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star McElhenney expressed his belief that sports can be a unifying force for good, connecting fans of teams from all over the globe. He said: "When you look at Necaxa, Wrexham and La Equidad, they have traditionally been good, there's a rich history, but they don't have the resources that a lot of the clubs up at the top have."

"Even though it's different countries, continents or languages, we look for similar identifying principles. Do they have a rabid fanbase looking for a group of people to come in and help them achieve their goal? " He added: "We can make those connections all across the world; if you are a fan of Wrexham, you should be a fan of Necaxa or La Equidad. We all have the same needs, wants, loves and heartbreak, so let's link arms and follow each other."

Eva Longoria is branching into the world of football (Image: Getty Images)