Hollywood star Will Ferrell has become the latest celebrity to invest in Championship club Leeds, according to reports on Sunday. Ferrell has reportedly bought a “large” stake in the US-based 49ers Enterprises group that owns the Elland Road side. The 56-year-old joins fellow actor Russell Crowe, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas as an investor in Leeds.

Three-time major winner Spieth confirmed he and fellow American Thomas bought minority shares in the former English champions last year. Ferrell is co-owner of Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC and revealed he was a big fan of English football during a trip to watch Manchester City beat Aston Villa 3-1 last season. He also saw Wrexham defeat Wealdstone and QPR’s home game against Sunderland on the same trip.

Welsh club Wrexham, recently promoted to the third tier, are owned by fellow actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who started a recent trend of celebrities investing in British teams. Black Panther actor Michael B Jordan was announced as a part-owner of Premier League side Bournemouth in 2022, while former NFL quarterback Tom Brady is an investor in Birmingham, who were relegated to the third tier on Saturday.

Ferrell, who has an estimated worth of over £100 million ($125 million), starred on comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live and is famous for his roles in hit movies including Elf and Anchorman. Leeds missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League on the final day of the Championship season after Ipswich’s 2-0 win against Huddersfield on Saturday. Daniel Farke’s side, beaten 2-1 by Southampton on Saturday, will bid to bounce back to the top-flight via the play-offs. They face Norwich in the first leg of their semi-final at Carrow Road next Sunday. — AFP