An Englishman in Ligue 1

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"Indirectly, Football Manager must have had some sort of impact because it's basically what I do day in, day out now"

At 30 years of age, Will Still became the youngest manager in Europe’s top five leagues when he replaced Óscar García at Reims in Ligue 1 at the end of 2022. He has had a remarkable rise to the top, and here, he tells The Coaches’ Voice his story.

Still, an Englishman who was born and raised in Belgium, made the decision to go into coaching following a short period on a placement in the Preston North End academy. After returning to Belgium to look for work, he went knocking on the doors of Belgian football coaches to try and get himself a job. Rejection after rejection followed, but eventually his approach paid off.

As a child, Still was always fascinated by the intricacies of football tactics, and he used to test himself on Football Manager, which he admits he became “obsessed” with. Incredibly, as he grew up and became a professional coach and then manager, he was still trying things out in the game as well as doing the job for real.

Now permanent Reims manager, Still is in the dugout for games against the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar, and he has made a fantastic start to life in charge of a Ligue 1 club. Here, Still tells us how he has got to where he is, and reveals the Premier League team he one day wants to manage.

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Author: Ali Tweedale