Tom Brady's £15m gamble pays off as Birmingham City silence Wrexham and Rob McElhenney

Birmingham City triumphed in the much-anticipated clash against Wrexham on Monday night, with Tom Brady emerging victorious over Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.

Despite both teams currently competing in League One, Birmingham were relegated last season while Wrexham celebrated a second consecutive promotion. The disparity in quality was evident from early on.

Initially, Wrexham were on cloud nine after their striker Jack Marriott netted a goal within three minutes, stunning the home crowd. Brady had authorised a significant transfer during the summer, with Birmingham splashing out £15 million on Premier League forward Jay Stansfield. This move broke the League One transfer record as Stansfield agreed to switch from Fulham to the Blues.

The magnitude of the deal drew criticism from rival supporters, but Stansfield justified his price tag by scoring twice to put Birmingham in the lead, completing a turnaround. Tomoki Iwata then extended Birmingham's advantage to two goals, adding to Brady's delight while leaving McElhenney exasperated in the stands.

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The two high-profile co-owners had been mocking each other ahead of Monday's match, but once again, in the realm of sports, Brady emerged triumphant. Wrexham have undergone a total transformation since McElhenney and Reynolds took the reins, with the Welsh team now setting their sights on a spot in the Premier League as part of a long-term strategy.

The recent success at Wrexham has shown the potential opportunities for those with a high profile owning a less renowned football team, a venture Brady embarked on with Birmingham last year. Both Wrexham co-owner McElhenney and Birmingham co-owner Brady confirmed their attendance for the game on Monday, and David Beckham sat next to the NFL legend.

Alongside Beckham, Gary Neville, his former Manchester United and England cohort, was also present to witness the action unfold. The trio were all celebrating while McElhenney was slumped in his seat as his pre-match banter didn't age well.

Prior to the match, McElhenney contacted former Super Bowl champion Eli Manning, who is notorious for beating Brady's New England Patriots twice at the Super Bowl. McElhenney got Manning to show his support for Wrexham.

McElhenney shared images on X of Manning donning a Wrexham jersey, cheekily announcing: "We are honored that Eli Manning has coincidentally, (because co-chairmen Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds begged him) joined the Wrexham fanbase, just in time for our match over at Tom Brady's Birmingham City on Monday night.

Manning continued the mockery, saying: "Now I can beat Tom Brady in football and futbol! Go Wrexham!" Brady finally clapped back with a humorous video while wearing a Birmingham sweater, with one of his seven Super Bowl trophies in hand.

Brady joked about his considerable collection of accolades as opposed to Manning, saying, "I've been working on a little response video to Eli and I'm looking around the house, but I can't find the other six of these. Rob, can you educate the Wrexham fans just a little bit on the history of the NFL? Thanks, bud, appreciate y'all. I'll see you Monday."