Cardiff owner Vincent Tan's £693m fortune dwarfs Ryan Reynolds ahead of Welsh Championship derby

Cardiff City host Wrexham in a Championship derby on Saturday that doubles as a clash between two of English football’s most high-profile club owners — and the financial gap between them is vast.

Vincent Tan, who has owned Cardiff since 2010, carries an estimated net worth of £693m, according to Forbes, which ranks him as the 29th richest man in Malaysia. Ryan Reynolds, the Hollywood actor who co-owns Wrexham alongside Rob McElhenney, is worth an estimated £258m — significant by any measure, but less than half of Tan’s fortune.

Reynolds and McElhenney finalised their Wrexham takeover in early 2021 and have since bankrolled three consecutive promotions, taking the club from the National League to the Championship. Reynolds built much of his wealth through a reported 20 per cent stake in Aviation Gin, sold for approximately £450m in 2020, and a reported 25 per cent share in Mint Mobile, acquired by T-Mobile for around £1bn in 2019. His production company, Maximum Effort, has further expanded his earnings through film, television, and brand partnerships.

Tan’s wealth has deeper roots. He began his career as an insurance agent before taking control of Berjaya Corp in the 1980s, growing it into a conglomerate spanning finance, property, and hospitality that generated approximately £1.7bn in revenue last year. He also holds a 41 per cent stake in the Malaysian arm of Seven Eleven, which posted £577m in revenue in 2025.

Tan’s tenure at Cardiff has not been without controversy. He famously changed the club’s home kit from blue to red — a colour associated with prosperity in Malaysia — before reversing the decision following supporter backlash. He also clashed publicly with former manager Malky Mackay over transfer investment after Cardiff’s 2013 promotion to the Premier League.

Despite the turbulence, Tan has overseen two top-flight promotions during his 15 years at the club. Wrexham, meanwhile, are targeting a third successive promotion under Reynolds and McElhenney, having narrowly missed out on reaching the Premier League last season. Saturday’s fixture places both ownership projects in direct competition for the same prize.