Who is Will Still? All you need to know about the Ligue 1 manager
The 30-year-old has been instrumental to Stade de Reims' success after Oscar Garcia was sacked.
Will Still, the manager of Stade de Reims, has had a strange journey that has included everything from learning how to coach through the video game Football Manager to getting his club fined after each match. As his team gets stronger with each passing game week, the Belgian coach has certainly been a huge success story.
But the incredible story is not coming by for cheap. The more it continues, the more Les Rouges et Blancs pay the price. Reims are fined a staggering $27,000 every time he manages them. The Belgian has definitely turned a lot of heads, and rightly so.
The Belgian is quite amazed himself. “You reflect on it and think, Why the hell am I doing this? How am I in the position to be coaching against these guys? ” he said. The 30-year-old was referring to managing against the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar. Here’s all you need to know about Will Still.
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Will Still’s background
Still was born in the Belgian town of Braine-l’Alleud, after his father moved there to work for Shell. He had a deep passion for football and has been a lifelong West Ham United supporter, which dictated his career path. He discovered the famous game ‘Football Manager’ when he was 17. This was while chasing a football career as a player. The game created such an impact on him that he quit playing football and decided to study at Myerscough College to become a professional coach.
Will Still’s career
Will Still’s first professional football role was in 2014 as a video analyst for Belgian club Sint-Truiden. A year later, he took a huge step forward in his career by joining one of Belgium’s biggest clubs, Standard Liege, but the manager and his coaching staff were fired, and Still became an assistant manager at Lierse in 2017.
When Lierse declared bankruptcy, Still took advantage of another opportunity in Belgium and joined Beerschot as an assistant for two years. After impressing from within, he eventually took charge in January 2021 and guided the newly promoted side to within a point of the playoffs to reach the first round of the Europa League, but he was fired the following summer.
Fortunately for Still, he was offered a position as an assistant manager in Reims under Oscar Garcia. When Spaniard Garcia was fired in October, Will was appointed interim manager once more for a team where he did so well that the club offered him the full position – where he is still doing a fantastic job.
Will Still’s net worth, contract and investments
Not much is known about Will Still in financial terms. His net worth has not been revealed yet, and his contract as well as the bonuses remain a secret.
However, because Still lacks a UEFA Pro Licence, Reims must pay £22,000 every time he takes charge of a game, as per Ligue 1 rules. This is only temporary. He is studying for the qualification at the National Football Centre near Brussels, which he visits once or twice a month. However, it is understood now that the club has reached an agreement with the footballing watchdogs that he is appearing for the pro license and they are not having to pay any fines anymore.
One thing is certain: if a team is willing to take a fine of that magnitude every game in order to have him at the helm, he must be good. Still appears to be on track to become one of Europe’s great managers. It’ll be fascinating to see how his career develops.
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Arpan Ghosh
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