Ryan Reynolds' co-owner admits texting captain and coach after watching games
Hollywood actress Eva Longoria says she's taken a hands-on role after investing in a Mexican football club alongside Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The Desperate Housewives star bought a stake in Mexican top tier side Club Necaxa as part of the Tylis-Porter group in 2021. The celebrity consortium, including Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, model Kate Upton and NFL athlete Odell Beckham Jr, holds a share of around 50 per cent in the team.
They were later joined by Wrexham's co-owners in April 2024 after the two actors acquired a small stake in Necaxa, with a reciprocal share in the Red Dragons heading to Tylis-Porter. Longoria has now revealed she is regularly in touch with the Liga MX club's head coach and players via text.
READ MORE: Hollywood actress makes intentions clear after investing in club alongside Wrexham owners
The 49-year-old made the confession after discussing her involvement during an interview with The Athletic. Longoria originally caught the sports investment bug after buying into US National Women's Soccer League outfit Angel City in 2020.
She joined the venture with fellow actors Natalie Portman and Jennifer Garner, before selling up in September last year. As far as Necaxa is concerned, Longoria tries to watch as many of their games as possible.
She said: "I'm texting the captain, I'm texting the coach. I'm just like, 'great job', or 'sorry for the loss'. It is like a new family for me. That's how we started with Angel City.
"Before we sold, we called ourselves the 'soccer moms' because we would go to the games. We would be like, 'do we hand out oranges?' It was Jennifer Garner, Natalie Portman and myself."
Ex-Swansea City director Sam Porter fronts the investment group which owns half of Necaxa, alongside real estate financier Al Tylis. Porter said Longoria was heavily involved in recruiting the club's current head coach, Nicolas Larcamon.
"She was very optimistic and bullish and impressed with him (Larcamon), and he has gotten off to a solid start," he said. Last month, the same group acquired Colombian top division club La Equidad, with Longoria, Reynolds and McElhenney again on board.
The Wrexham pair's unique approach to running a football club has attracted worldwide attention after achieving back-to-back promotions in the last two seasons. Their journey with the North Wales team has been charted via the hit documentary Welcome to Wrexham.
A TV series has also been created about Necaxa, entitled Bienvenido a Necaxa (Welcome to Necaxa), with a show about Bogota-based La Equidad expected to follow. Longoria's connection to the Mexican side is particularly strong given her Mexican American background.
She is not alone either, as the Tylis-Porter group claims Necaxa has the potential to pull in an audience of more than 165million people across Mexico and the US. Such is its popularity, Liga MX even challenges the Premier League in terms of viewing figures in the States.
Meanwhile, Longoria has also expressed her enthusiasm over the latest venture in Colombia. She said: "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 favourite 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."
