Sometimes football goes way beyond the game, and this is one of those stories.
Back in February, 15-year-old Wrexham fan Aiden Waller, from Essex, passed away after a three-year battle with osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer. He was described by his family as “the strongest, bravest, most inspiring kid”.
Aiden’s ashes were scattered on the Wrexham pitch earlier this year. The family knew the grass would eventually need to be replaced for the new season, but what happened next was a surprise that nobody expected.
Ryan Reynolds, who co-owns Wrexham AFC with Rob McElhenney, quietly arranged for part of the turf where Aiden’s ashes were laid to be preserved inside a glass plaque. Last Saturday, during Wrexham’s game against West Brom, he personally handed it to Aiden’s family in what his mum, Sarah, described as a “really emotional moment.”
The plaque reads:
“Aiden Waller: Wrexham Legend. Friend to Deadpool. Then. Now. Forever.”
Sarah said Ryan changed the wording multiple times to get it absolutely perfect. And because Aiden was a massive Marvel and Deadpool fan, the tribute couldn’t have been more fitting. “If we do the lighting right, it creates a rainbow,” Sarah added, explaining that it was even Ryan who suggested it.
Reynolds actually phoned Aiden’s mum the day after the funeral, asking if the family wanted to scatter the ashes on the pitch. According to Sarah, he even “sneakily put a bit in the goal.” The plan all along was to make sure Aiden would always be part of Wrexham’s story.
For the Wallers, this tribute means more than just a gesture from a celebrity. It’s a lasting connection to the club Aiden loved, and a reminder that even in Hollywood, some people genuinely care about the fans who make football what it is.
As Sarah put it:
“The way people thought of Aiden and the friends he had that he never knew, he didn’t know how special he truly was.”
What are your thoughts?
