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Dundee new boy Tyler French on Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, Disney and laying bricks as a non-league footballer

Dundee defender Tyler French.
Dundee defender Tyler French.

Dundee may have a Disney star in their midst.

His story could well be the classic rags to riches tale, too. In football terms anyway.

Only three years ago Tyler French was digging out turf for people to build conservatories while playing in the eighth tier of English football at Sudbury.

Then along came Gary Bowyer at Bradford City to give him a crack at his dream of being a professional footballer.

Then came the glamour of Hollywood as he moved to Wrexham as one of the first signings made by co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Wrexham co-chairmen Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.

Then came a documentary crew to follow life behind the scenes at the National League outfit.

Reynolds is one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time but has designs on lifting the Dragons to glory.

In doing so, he and actor pal McElhenney bought the club and invited the film crew in to chronicle their story.

The first instalment will stream on Disney Plus next month with Dundee’s latest signing French set to appear.

French said: “It will be going on Disney Plus soon.

“The whole season there were cameras everywhere following you about.

“We got a little teaser before I left of a few episodes and it looks good.

“I am in it quite a bit, to be fair.

“You get used to the cameras following you about but initially it is strange.

“They are not just at training either, they come into your house, accompany you to the cinema, they want to film as much as possible.

“It can be quite intense but they are just trying to do their jobs and help them as much as possible as well.”

David Beckham and Will Ferrell

And what of Reynolds and McElhenney?

“We met them on three or four occasions and then the last time was at Wembley for the FA Trophy Final,” the centre-back, who can also play on the right, added.

“I can’t speak highly enough about them. They just want the club to do as well as possible.

“As owners, they are brilliant – proper down to earth.

Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds (centre) Blake Lively and David Beckham in the stands ahead of the Buildbase FA Trophy Final at Wembley.

“They give everything to the club that they need to go forward.

“But any time they were there was very strange as they are people you watch in big films.

“For the FA Trophy Final they brought David Beckham and Will Ferrell with them.

“You are just thinking to yourself, ‘Why are you at Wrexham?!’

“It was just mad but, as I said, I can’t speak highly enough of them.

“You hear things about other owners and they don’t have the right intentions but they just want the club to go places.

“They will do anything possible to get it to that point.”

‘Proper graft’

Wrexham and French’s path, though, have now diverged with the pull of working for Bowyer once more too much for the player to resist.

“I used to play non-league but he brought me in at Bradford to give me my first professional contract,” French said of Bowyer.

“I would train Tuesday/Thursday but was working full-time with one of my dad’s friends doing conservatory bases.

Tyler French in his early days at Bradford City as he takes on Liverpool’s Fabinho in a friendly.

“We would be digging out, laser levelling and then building brickwork up to a point before the company would come in and put the rest on.

“It was proper graft, digging and laying bricks.

“All I have ever wanted to be was a professional footballer.

“I am kind of glad the way I came into it rather than through an academy.

“I was playing men’s football from the age of 16 but working you appreciate things a lot more.

“At Wrexham, I was happy where I was but after the conversations with the gaffer it was something I thought about and decided it was probably best for my career going forward.

“I had interest from other places and I wanted to go somewhere I would be playing all the time.

“Wrexham didn’t really want me to leave but it was something that we managed to get done.”

 

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