Ryan Reynolds hails 'generous' Ben Foster for retiring four games into Wrexham's EFL season

Former Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster shocked fans when announcing his retirement from football right at the start of last season, after playing just four games in League Two for the Red Dragons.

Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were desperate for Foster to continue at the club after helping them earn promotion from the National League, but he lasted just 360 minutes. Wrexham made an inconsistent start to their first season in the Football League for over 15 years, with Foster conceding 14 goals in just 360 minutes of football.

The then-40-year-old had initially come out of retirement to assist in Wrexham’s charge for the National League title, and became adored by the fans and both Reynolds and McElhenney when they beat Notts County to the title. But the former Manchester United and England goalkeeper was honest with himself when realising he was no longer at the required level, and decided to end his career for a second time.

Reynolds revealed in the newly-released season three of Welcome to Wrexham that he has an “immense amount of respect” for Foster, and called his noble act “generous” as it later helped them achieve back-to-back promotions and secure their place in League One. “I thought it was generous. Like, it was an incredibly generous thing to do,” Reynolds said in episode two.

“So few people know when to call it, you know. I have an immense amount of respect for Ben and who he is as a player and a person. He’s a huge reason we’re here in the EFL.”

The penny dropped for Foster at home to Swindon Town on August 19, 2023, when he conceded four first-half goals as Wrexham were 4-1 down at the break. A stunning turnaround saw Wrexham secure a 5-5 draw after two injury-time strikes, but Foster knew that his time was up.

Despite settling for a point it felt like a win for Wrexham, but Foster knew when he walked off the pitch that it would be the last time he would play in a professional football match. “Even though we’d drawn, the lads were quiet and they weren’t happy because they knew something was wrong,” Foster said on Welcome to Wrexham.

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Foster was frustrated all season and reached boiling point with his own performances

“They knew that the performance wasn’t what it should be. And this might sound selfish but I was thinking just about my own circumstance at that moment in time. Because, I knew enough was enough, and I knew I was done.

“And I was thinking about how to tell the manager, how to tell the coaching staff. And I was just thinking ‘What shall I do? Shall I do it now? Shall I ring somebody tomorrow? Shall I tell them on Monday?’

“I thought, ‘No, I’m just gonna go tell them.’ Went into the coaches room and I said, ‘That’s me done lads. That’s me done. I’m letting you down. I’m not up to speed. I’m not what I thought I am. And I don’t want to keep letting you down.’

Foster spoke openly about his decision on Welcome to Wrexham

Although the decision was unexpected at the time, the feeling within the club was that Foster had made the right decision. Wrexham advisor Shaun Harvey agreed that Foster’s decision suited all parties, and it was right that they parted ways.

“From Ben’s perspective, I think it was just the dawn of reality that he was getting older,” Harvey said on the show. “To be honest, it was the right decision for Ben. And in reality, it was the right decision for Wrexham as well.”

Due to Foster’s decision being made in August, it gave Wrexham time to source a replacement before the end of the summer transfer window which closed on September 1. Wrexham went from experience to young, raw talent, signing Arsenal goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo on loan.

The 22-year-old made 35 appearances for Wrexham in League Two last season, and was a major reason for their promotion charge. The youngster had 14 clean sheets and conceded just 30 goals all season, finishing the campaign with the second-best goals conceded per minute (107).