BIRMINGHAM, England — Legendary quarterback Tom Brady is used to a different kind of Monday Night Football, but he was just one of several superstars in attendance at St Andrew's as his Birmingham City team ended Wrexham's unbeaten start to League One with a 3-1 victory on Monday.
Fans were talking about the chaos at the famous old stadium even three hours before the match was due to start at 8pm.
That's what happens when Brady, Rob McElhenney and David Beckham are in town for the game billed as the “Hollywood derby”. Ryan Reynolds (Wrexham's co-owner with McElhenney) was tipped to be in attendance, but he was able to watch the action via a video call with McElhenney before kick-off.
“You can feel the energy in the stadium,” Brady told Sky Sports before the match. “We're excited. It's going to be a great game. If you love football, you should be watching tonight.”
Brady has a 3.3% stake in Birmingham City and travelled especially for the game. He was seen on the pitch before the match throwing an American football around with the Blues.
The 🐐 has arrived. image.twitter.com/HZOKwUgPC2
— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) September 16, 2024
After giving several interviews to the media, he handed McElhenney a Birmingham shirt with the number 12 on the back and then paraded around the outside of the ground. He received a glowing welcome, but the Wrexham fans applauded the man regarded as one of the NFL's greatest players with a serenade of “Who the hell are you?”
“We want to be successful on the field and to do that we're going to have to follow our own process,” Brady said before the game. “But the bottom line is we want to win and that's what we're committed to. I love sports and I love being a part of this club.”
McElhenney flew in after attending the Emmys on Sunday in Los Angeles and was the center of attention in the pregame. Wrexham recruited former quarterback Eli Manning as a fan for the day, using his record of helping the New York Giants win two Super Bowls over Brady's New England Patriots in 2008 and 2012 as an interesting subplot.
Brady responded by pointing out his incredible array of awards, prompting Manning to reach out to actor Hugh Jackman on social media for help.
The pre-match confrontation began @TomBrady @BCFC @Wrexham_AFC photo.twitter.com/2NL3LJYaXO
— Rob McElhenney (@RMcElhenney) September 16, 2024
But even so, this was a mere subplot to the game itself between two unbeaten League One sides and a pair of promotion contenders. Birmingham have spent big this summer (close to £30m) and have broken the club and league record by signing Jay Stansfield for a fee believed to be in the region of £15m.
Birmingham were looking to bounce back and get promoted to the Premier League at their first opportunity after last season's relegation. Then there's Wrexham, with two consecutive promotions and Premier League aspirations under the guidance of the Reynolds-McElhenney duo.
There was still room for one more celebrity surprise. Beckham and his son Romeo sat to the left of Brady in the Birmingham manager's box and his former Manchester United and England team-mate Gary Neville was also at St Andrew's.
Oh, and this guy is here too… photo.twitter.com/4lE7bK2Gzr
— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) September 16, 2024
“We've brought a lot of international attention to a League One game,” Birmingham chairman Tom Wagner said of his assessment of the occasion, and his side responded with a brilliant performance after overcoming an early scare.
The visitors took the lead after two minutes when Jack Marriott headed in a corner. McElhenney was shocked in the stands to see his Wrexham side go a goal ahead, but Brady was much more animated when Stansfield headed in a rebound on his return to the Blues after Arthur Okonkwo had deflected in Alfie May's long-range effort.
With the scores level at 1-1 at half-time, Birmingham took the lead in the 52nd minute when Stansfield headed in a brilliant cross from Alex Cochrane. And Birmingham's joy was further heightened seven minutes later when Tomoki Iwata scored a beautiful goal from 25 yards.
Oh seriously, it was Rob, seriously. https://t.co/GDHhe9iTsy
— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) September 16, 2024
Brady was later seen in the crowd applauding as a mass brawl broke out as players from both sides became angry with each other, but it was Birmingham, who had captain Krystian Bielik sent off for a second yellow card in the 86th minute, who maintained control of the match to give Brady bragging rights in the first-ever Hollywood derby.
