'I bought into a football club with Ryan Reynolds - it's the biggest soap opera I've seen'

Eva Longoria has opened up about her decision to invest in a Colombian football team alongside and . The Desperate Housewives star, along with co-owners and members of the high-profile Tylis-Porter investment group, has bought a stake in Bogota-based club La Equidad. The deal, worth over £22.5million, was finalised in January and saw them secure a 99 per cent stake in the Categoria Primera A team.

Other celebrities involved include Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, model Kate Upton and NFL player Odell Beckham Jr. The consortium is led by real estate investor Al Tylis and sports executive Sam Porter.

This marks the third football team Reynolds and McElhenney have invested in, and the second for the Tylis-Porter group, after they previously collaborated to purchase around a 50 per cent stake in Mexican side Club Necaxa. A reciprocal arrangement also saw a five per cent share in Wrexham sold to the Liga MX team's ownership.

Longoria joined Reynolds at Wrexham's opening match of the season against Wycombe in August last year. The 49-year-old actress has now shed light on the increasing trend of North American celebrities investing in football teams, explaining her own reasons for doing so.

"My approach to it is as an entrepreneur," she shared with . "We can do a good investment and at the same time I can make a difference with my platform to get more press, sponsorships and media coverage that help the investment.

"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 the biggest soap opera I've ever seen.' Every player has a story. Every team has a story. Every town has a story."

The successful Welcome to Wrexham documentary, which detailed Reynolds and McElhenney's exploits with their Welsh football club, has inspired Necaxa's owners to produce their own docuseries. The series, entitled Bienvenido a Necaxa (Welcome to Necaxa), has garnered backing from FX and Disney+ Latin America.

Among the docuseries' executive producers are Longoria, Reynolds, and McElhenney, all set to feature onscreen. Longoria disclosed her hands-on involvement with La Equidad, vigilantly following their matches and frequently contacting the head coach and players.

Furthermore, Longoria spilled the beans on how Tylis and Porter have adopted a data-centric model for sports management, as observed in their acquisition of La Equidad.

She remarked: "I sat with Sam and Al in New York. Sam is the Moneyball guy, like the Bill Gates of sports. I know Colombia is a country with a very rich soccer history and an immense amount of talent.

"Everybody's invested in their hometown team. It's been interesting to approach sports with this analytical lens instead of just being like: 'My favourite team is Real Madrid or the Dallas Cowboys'.

"But to really get granular and analytical about players, wins, losses, rankings and playoff spots, that to me is fascinating. I just get blown away by the process. I don't think I'll be stopping anytime soon."

While her documentary series Welcome to Wrexham has garnered significant acclaim, Longoria urges caution against assuming television can universally boost sports teams' profiles. She plans to personally visit Bogota before deciding on a potential series about La Equidad.

Concurrently, McElhenney, star of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, shared his view that sports have the power to unite people across the world, bringing together fans from diverse backgrounds.

He commented: "When you look at Necaxa, Wrexham and La Equidad, they have traditionally been good, there's a rich history, but they don't have the resources that a lot of the clubs up at the top have.

"Even though it's different countries, continents or languages, we look for similar identifying principles. Do they have a rabid fanbase looking for a group of people to come in and help them achieve their goal?

"We can make those connections all across the world; if you are a fan of Wrexham, you should be a fan of Necaxa or La Equidad. We all have the same needs, wants, loves and heartbreak, so let's link arms and follow each other."