How football manager Will Still became one of the biggest memes of the year

It’s one of the biggest stories in football right now, and it’s no surprise that meme culture has got its hands on Will Still.

The manager has become the talk of the sporting world in recent weeks thanks to his unique position in the game.

If you missed it, Still is a Belgian-born manager who coaches Stade de Reims in the French top flight.

He’s making headlines for a number of reasons. First up, he’s incredibly young in managerial terms at the age of just 30.

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Secondly, he took his side on a Ligue 1 record 17-game unbeaten run before they lost to Marseille over the weekend.

Perhaps most significant, though, is the fact he doesn’t have a UEFA Pro Licence. It means that until recently Reims had to pay a £22,000 fine every time he took charge. He is now studying for the licence on a course, though, which means the fines don’t apply.

He’s also spoke about how the Football Manager game inspired him to get into coaching. Still has become the talk of football Twitter, and he’s already the biggest meme of the year so far.

People have become slightly obsessed with his story and fans all over the world are posting about him.

Social media users have been comparing him to other managers like Nice boss Didier Digard. There was even a salty post from FC Red Bull Salzburg, who threw shade on Still when posting about their own young manager Matthias Jaissle, who has a license.

“Red Bull Salzburg pay a £0 fine each time Jaissle manages because he has his UEFA Pro License,” they wrote.

Despite it being part of his story, Still recently distanced himself from the Football Manager game and said his public image exactly true to life.

He told Sky Sports: “With the Football Manager thing, for example - people think I'm some spotty geek behind my computer that's just been dropped in at Stade de Reims and is doing an unbelievable job. But I've been doing it for 10 years and the experiences I've accumulated or tried to accumulate have helped me and are still helping me today.

“People say 'Oh, he's got no coaching badges, no qualifications, he's just played computer games!' I went to university to study football coaching, I've got the highest level diploma you can get, for the moment, in football and I'm studying for the Pro Licence. I realise it's a fun story and one that catches the eye. But I know also that people behind it all know somewhere deep down what the reality is.”

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