Wrexham sign footballer who receives most abuse in England

Wrexham have signed Ireland international James McClean, which is pretty solid for their League Two level.

McClean isn't just known as someone with 100 caps for his national team but also as someone who feels strongly about his Irish identity despite being born in Northern Ireland.

Now briefly, in order not to wade into political discourse, Ireland and England don't have the best relationship from a historical viewpoint. McClean kind of exemplifies it.

You probably know that around November, football clubs in the UK have red poppies embroidered on the jersey, a symbol of remembrance and support for the Armed Forces community. James McClean never does.

Ahead of Euro 2012, McClean stated that as a Catholic from Derry he'd never felt like part of Northern Ireland finding it hard to "stand for that national anthem [God Save The Queen] and see all the flags, the sectarian flags and the chants as well".

So it's not uncommon to hear the crowd at various stadiums chant things like "F***ing Irish c***", "Fenian b******", "F*** the pope and the IRA, f*** the pope and the IRA". at McClean. He himself claims he is the most abused footballer in England.

BUT BACK TO FOOTBALL!

Here's what the 34-year-old left winger said about his Wrexham transfer: "I'm absolutely delighted to sign for Wrexham.

"It's a project that is very exciting and I'm looking forward to being a part of it. The club has ambitions to go even further and I'm a very ambitious person. I'm someone who is driven and I want to be a part of that journey."

As for Wrexham, you probably already know they are owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and enjoy much attention not only in the UK but also have a bunch of Americans drooling over the Welsh club.

Wrexham kickstart this season in League Two by facing MK Dons today on 5 August 2023.