James McClean gives cheeky X-rated gesture to rival fans during final Wrexham farewell
James McClean bid farewell to English football in the manner he knows best.
The former Republic of Ireland international was in attendance at The Racecourse to take in Wrexham’s 1-1 draw with Leicester City in the Championship on Tuesday.
It would be McClean’s final appearance in front of the Wrexham faithful having completed a permanent move to League of Ireland outfit Derry City.
McClean’s switch to his hometown club brought the curtain down on his 15-year stint in English football.
Throughout his lengthy spell on English shores, McClean knew how to rile up opposition supporters.
Rival fans were also never shy to fire some verbal abuse in the direction of the 36-year-old, either.
Some of the anger towards McClean centred around his refusal to wear a poppy around Remembrance Sunday, a stance he maintained throughout his career.
However, it reached a point where some fans took their actions too far, resulting in the English Football League (EFL) giving McClean special dispensation to skirt around the rule which forced players to exit the field from the nearest touchline.
McClean’s exemption came in after a Birmingham City fan hurled a cup of Bovril at him during Wrexham’s clash against the Blues at St Andrew’s in September 2024.
So when McClean walked out for the final time at The Racecourse to wave goodbye to the Wrexham supporters, he couldn’t resist one last chance to fan the flames.
As he clapped the stands at The Racecourse, which is set to undergo further refurbishment, McClean turned to the Leicester City fans and flipped them off.
Given he is no longer a player governed by the Football Association (FA), McClean looks set to escape punishment for his cheeky act.
McClean departs Wrexham as one of their most important players in the modern era.
The 36-year-old joined the ambitious club in 2023 when Wrexham were in League Two, marking the first time he had ever played in English football’s fourth tier.
But it proved to be an astute decision as McClean helped the Welsh club secure back-to-back promotions as Wrexham rose up to the Championship.
McClean played starring roles in both the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns but had his role reduced for the 2025/26 term, starting just ten of Wrexham’s 26 league fixtures before his departure.
He now returns to the club where his professional football career began in 2008.
Prior to joining Wrexham, McClean carved out a successful career in English football having enjoyed stints at Sunderland, Wigan, West Brom and Stoke City.
McClean's parting message to Wrexham
McClean penned an emotional message to Wrexham on Instagram after his departure from the club was confirmed.
He wrote: “Been going over and over in my head to try somehow put into words what this club has meant to me since I signed and truth be told no matter what words I write it won’t do justice to express the feeling.
“I’ll try so here it goes, its genuinely been the most incredible and enjoyable couple of years I have had, a huge thank you to @vancityreynolds and @robmac who are two incredible people by the way for giving me the opportunity to be part of the magic that is Wrexham or to people outside of Wrexham “Disney FC”, the management staff who believed in me and gave me the honour to captain this club to history, the medical staff, the staff around the ground, the fans who have been incredible and welcomed me from day one, no politics, no media perceptions just football, this club have been incredible and showed a real touch of class in making my move back home easy.
“Finally and certainly not least, all the players, who I shared the dressing room with, battles on the pitch with and the glories off the pitch with Vegas etc enough said, while creating great friendships (don’t cry @andy14cannon you’ll set me off, it’s not goodbye you can still visit) we created a bond and togetherness like no other.
“My only regret is I couldn’t have been a few years younger when joining this journey because this club is only going to go on and create more magic but thats football.
“It’s been a real honour and a real pleasure and I wish you nothing but further success because the squad has real real quality here to achieve this.
“Up the history making back to back to back Red Dragons.”
The 36-year-old chalked up an impressive 237 appearances in the Championship and 158 in the Premier League.
McClean’s energetic displays earned him several accolades throughout his career, including Wigan’s Player of the Year on two occasions and Stoke’s Player of the Year in the 2019/20 campaign.
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