Manchester City
Reece Wabara, once a promising footballer with Manchester City, has successfully transitioned from the pitch to the boardroom. After a brief football career that included stints with Doncaster Rovers, Barnsley, Wigan, and Bolton, Wabara retired in 2017 to focus on his burgeoning fashion business, Maniere de Voir. The venture has since flourished, reportedly generating around £35 million annually and opening its first store on London’s prestigious Oxford Street in 2023.
Reece Wabara said: “It was too easy up until 18, then everyone started to catch me up. I was the best player. You’re a kid, you don’t have that understanding. When it’s easy and you don’t know it’s easy until retrospect, you don’t go hard. Everybody told me how good I was going to be, that I’d play for England, that I’d be Manchester City’s next right-back. And I wasn’t good enough and everybody caught me up. I went on a few loans, didn’t perform, you know your time is up. I’m very paranoid now that it only takes a year and you’re done, one big mistake and you’re out of the game.”
Wabara’s decision to pivot from football to fashion was not taken lightly. During his time at Wigan, where he was part of the team that achieved promotion, he realized the precarious nature of a football career. Despite being praised for his performance, he felt that his focus on his business was perceived negatively by the management.
Reece Wabara said: “A member of the management said I’d been fantastic but they felt I was focusing on the business too much. I knew I was playing a game of politics, in that moment, when I started to get the switch… I thought to myself, I can’t have my future in someone else’s hands. I had the business, that was me taking that stand, in the moment I was like, ‘you know what, I’m done.'”
Wabara’s reflections on his football career reveal a sense of missed opportunities. He acknowledged that while he had the talent to play at the highest levels, including the Premier League and potentially the Champions League, his focus shifted to where he could excel long-term.
Reece Wabara said: “I was 25 or 26, I had to make a choice, what’s more long term? Where can I be the best of the best? And unfortunately, at the time, I could have played in the Premier League but to be a Champions League, World Cup-winning footballer was low percentage. I had to make the logical choice and that was to continue the business and take it as high as possible.”
Despite the challenges and perceptions of being “flashy” or “not dedicated,” Wabara’s decision to focus on his business has paid off. His journey from footballer to fashion mogul serves as a testament to his adaptability and business acumen. While he acknowledges the potential of what could have been in football, Wabara remains committed to his entrepreneurial path, ensuring that his future is firmly within his own control.
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