HOLLYWOOD A-lister Ryan Reynolds might think he’s put Wrexham on the footballing map, but it was Emily Atack’s great-grandfather who actually did that.
During her appearance on the new series of BBC ancestry show Who Do You Think You Are?, the Inbetweeners actress discovers her family were innovators of the beautiful game in Wales.
She learns Wrexham-born Edward Robbins was the scourge of the English Football League in the 1930s, clashing with them for refusing to free up their Welsh players so they could play for the national team.
It was only because of his campaigning in his role as Secretary of the Welsh Football Association that Welsh-born stars playing for clubs in England could finally represent their country, paving the way for the likes of future legends including Gareth Bale to become Welsh icons.
A source says: “Emily could not believe the link to Wrexham, particularly as the name is now so associated with Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who co-own the club.
“She is in no way sporty either, so to hear her family had this pedigree came as a big surprise.”
Edward Robbins had such legendary status within the game that he was dubbed the “dictator of Welsh football”.
Source: the-sun.com
