In brief
Reece Wabara made a fortune as a fashion industry entrepreneur after having a difficult sports career.
Since launching his clothing brand, Maniere De Voir, in 2013, Wabara has expanded the business to generate little less than £35 million annually.
Over the years, well-known people like Raheem Sterling and Anthony Joshua have donned items from Wabara’s apparel collection.
Many Premier League supporters won’t recognise Reece Wabara because the former Manchester City youth academy star quit the game in 2017 at the age of 26. Since he made the decision to leave the beautiful game more than seven years ago, he has been successful as a businessman.
Wabara only appeared in one competitive match for Man City’s senior squad after failing to make a big impression on the English game. He was substituted in to replace Pablo Zabaleta during a match against Bolton Wanderers.
His loan stints at Ipswich Town, Oldham Athletic, Blackpool, and Doncaster Rovers in the lower levels proved insufficient to get him into Man City’s plans. Following a change in ownership in 2008, the club was gaining popularity, which reduced the opportunities for players rising through the youth ranks.
The defender’s contract was terminated in 2014 since he had no place in the Etihad squad due to the astronomical acquisition of new players. In fact, Wabara established his new business in the fashion industry before to leaving the club.
The Story of Reece Wabara’s Financial Success
In 2013, the former right-back launched a clothing brand.
Even though Wabara was still playing football in 2013 and was under contract with Man City, he made the decision to pursue new business endeavours to supplement his playing career. In retrospect, this choice was brilliant.
Lewis Morgan, a man Wabara attended school with, advised him to pursue a career in business. Morgan is a co-founder of Gym Shark, a well-known leisure company worldwide. In 2013, the former defender invested £15,000 in a clothing company named Maniere De Voir in an attempt to dabble in the fashion industry.
Wabara credited his old school friend when discussing his choice to give up football to work on other ventures in an interview with The Times in 2021.
‘Where can I maximise my ability to be great?’ I asked myself often. Lewis (Morgan, co-founder of Gymshark) said me, “You should do something in fashion,” because I always dressed differently.
He probably won’t regret it because, according to the Sun, Wabara’s company now generates just under £35 million (£34.7 million) annually, more than ten years later. Even though football is one of the most profitable occupations in the world, the former England Under-20 player never seemed destined to earn the staggering amounts of money he does in his new field.
Boxing legend Anthony Joshua and Chelsea star Raheem Sterling are just two well-known figures who have worn some of the items made by Wabara and company since the brand’s 2023 opening on Oxford Street in London.
The man chose to take a risk and give up on a dream that most young men have, when he could have been skulking around in the English football leagues’ lower divisions, desperate to get back into the Premier League. He was more much justified in making that leap.
Wabara’s Career in Football
From bright youngster to 26-year-old retiree
Wabara started his football career with Walsall before joining the blue side of Manchester in 2007, even if he may have come through the youth ranks with Manchester City. When the teenage player joined Ipswich Town on loan in 2011, it was the first of four loan stints he would go through. As a result, teams had the opportunity to watch the talented right-back play six games for a senior squad.
Oldham Athletic signed the player on a loan agreement that ended in January 2013 because they were eager to get him to League One. Wabara played his last game for the team, helping them defeat Premier League powerhouse Liverpool 3-2 in the FA Cup. Before City ended his contract and let him go to new places, he made more brief moves to Blackpool and Doncaster Rovers.
“I knew my football days at City were coming to an end and my dad always taught me I needed a second option to ensure you’re relevant and financially stable,” Wabara said candidly when recalling this period of his life, as reported by The Sun.
“I started a collection and established MDV in late 2013.” Tracksuits, T-shirts, and hoodies were the first items of apparel I made. It took off when I put them on the football players I knew,” he added. Wabara played for the club 65 times overall, including the previously mentioned loan period, and his permanent move to Doncaster after leaving City would turn out to be the most reliable and successful period of his playing career.
Short-term contracts at Barnsley, Wigan, and Bolton were insufficient to persuade Wabara to continue playing football, even after this fleeting comeback. He formally retired in 2017 and started concentrating entirely on his business endeavour.
“My football wasn’t progressing in the way I intended it to,” the now 33-year-old continued, acknowledging that it was not an easy decision. Because focus is crucial, I had to decide between the two because the firm was growing at an alarming rate.
The Career of Reece Wabara in Football
Club
Years
City of Manchester
From 2011 to 2014
Ipswich Town (loan)
2011–2012
Athletic Oldham (loan)
2012–2013
Loan for Blackpool
2013
(loan) Doncaster Rovers
2013
Rovers of Doncaster
2014–2016
The Barnsley
2015–2016
Wigan Sports
2016
Wanderers of Bolton
2016
The Net Worth of Reece Wabara
On the rich list, the former Manchester City defender is ranked higher than a current Manchester United forward.
With a £1 million annual turnover in its first year of operation, Maniere De Voir’s sharp increase to just about £35 million annually was bound to boost Wabara’s profits. In 2022, Wabara made his first appearance on the Sunday Times’ Young Rich List. His estimated personal worth at the time was £26 million.
According to a 2024 report by The Times, Wabara’s net worth has increased to £83 million, surpassing that of Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane, and Gareth Bale. From being a journeyman defender in the second and third divisions of English football, this is a startling shift in fortunes. The 33-year-old entrepreneur shows no signs of having completed the expansion of this enterprise.
xz
