‘Do we hand out oranges?’ - Eva Longoria explains soccer investment that sees her working with Natalie Portman, Jennifer Garner, Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney

The Desperate Housewives star is a prominent figure within the Tyler-Portis Group that continues to pump faith and funds into various sporting ventures around the world. They own a stake in the Alpine Formula 1 team, while also taking control at Mexican side Necaxa and Colombian outfit La Equidad.

Longoria was also part of the ownership team at NWSL team Angel City prior to their sale in September 2024 to Disney CEO Bob Iger, alongside fellow Hollywood stars Portman and Jennifer Garner. She invested both financially and emotionally in that project, while learning quickly on the job.

Longoria has told The Athletic: “I’m texting the captain. I’m texting the coach. I’m just like, ‘Great job, or sorry for the loss.’ It is like a new family for me. That’s how we started with Angel City. Before we sold, we called ourselves the ‘soccer moms’ because we would go to the games. We would be like, ‘Do we hand out oranges?’ It was Jennifer Garner, Natalie Portman and myself.”

Wrexham co-owners Reynolds and Rob McElhenney form part of the Tyler-Portis group – as do MBL pitcher Justin Verlander, his model wife Kate Upon and ex-Arsenal and Real Madrid player Mesut Ozil. Longoria is eager to point out that their investments are not done for show.

She added: “I hate the word celebrity. It’s, ‘Oh, you have a celebrity tequila?’ No, I have a tequila. ‘Well, you have a celebrity soccer team?’ No, we own a soccer team. For me, it is about being an investor.

“I feel like sports is entertainment. Storytelling through soccer is so powerful because the stakes are so high. The drama of winning and losing, injuries, firing a coach, bringing in a new player — the excitement is built-in drama. You could never write this. I was like, ‘Wow, this is this is the biggest soap opera I’ve ever seen’ Every player has a story. Every team has a story. Every town has a story.”

Wrexham are among those to have shown what can be achieved with the right A-list owners at the helm, with an award-winning documentary series helping them along, and the plan is for similar success to be enjoyed in North, Central and South America.