Wrexham’s special visit after signing All Whites star Liberato Cacace
Friday, 25 July 2025
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson couldn’t leave Wellington without a visit to La Bella Italia.
The Italian restaurant in Petone is owned by Antonio Cacace, the father of Wrexham’s new signing, Liberato Cacace.
Parkinson and Wrexham’s chief executive Michael Williamson popped in to say hello last Friday, the night before their game against the Wellington Phoenix, and introduced themselves to the player’s family.
Liberato Cacace has signed a three-year deal from Empoli in Italy worth a reported $4.7 million and is being viewed as a major signing ahead of the Hollywood-backed club’s first season back in the Championship for 43 years.
The deal was announced while Wrexham were in Cacace’s hometown, which meant Parkinson and Williamson could celebrate over a glass of wine at La Bella Italia.
Wrexham CEO Williamson played an instrumental role in the signing.
He had previously worked for Serie A giants Inter Milan so was familiar with Cacace’s agent and was able to speak directly with the sporting director at Empoli about the left back.
Wrexham didn’t need to call on their famous owners to convince Cacace to sign, like they have with other transfer targets, though Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds did share the news with his 51 million Instagram followers once the signing was confirmed.
“It was great to meet his dad, his mum and dad. We went down to the restaurant and he treated us to a glass of wine,” Parkinson said.
“I had a great chance with him, they’re lovely people and it was great for me and Mike Williamson, our chief executive, to go down there and connect with them because it’s important they know their son is going to be well looked after.”
Wrexham have experienced a fairytale rise since actors Reynolds and Rob Mac took over in 2021, jumping from the fifth-tier National League to the second-tier Championship within the space of just three seasons.
But the newly promoted side were given massive reality check on their pre-season tour to New Zealand and Australia, stunned 1-0 by a very young Phoenix team – two weeks out from a tough Championship opener against Southampton.
The addition of Cacace should help, along with three other signings Wrexham have announced since returning to Wales.
Cacace has joined Wrexham’s ambitious project after three and a half years in Italy, where he became the first male Kiwi footballer to play in Serie A.
The Wellington product burst onto the scene as a teenager with the Phoenix and is now one of the All Whites’ most important players, probably second only to Chris Wood.
Parkinson was confident the 24-year-old fullback would make a seamless transition to life in the Championship.
Cacace trained with Wrexham for the first time on Thursday after waiting for the first team squad to return from New Zealand.
“His attitude and his desire, you can see in the way he plays and when I spoke to him, I think he’s got the power you need, the running power and the speed you need in the Championship,” he added.
“He ticks a lot of boxes. What I like about him is he’s gone to the Belgian league and done well, he’s gone to Serie A and met those challenges full on.
“For a young man, to leave Wellington and go to two different countries and to adapt to the football over there, I think that’s been a credit to him and we’re looking forward to helping him do that in the Championship this season.”