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Reece Wabara in 2010 during his Manchester City days

When many veteran footballers head to the US, it is usually for a final pay day or the chance to extend their career in a warmer climate.

Reece Wabara, a former Manchester City academy graduate, is making waves Stateside after conquering the UK - but not in football.

The ex-full-back came through the ranks at City before dropping into the EFL, scoring the winning goal in Oldham's FA Cup giant-killing of Liverpool in 2013 and helping Wigan win promotion to the Championship.



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However, Wabara always had ambitions beyond football, which ultimately affected his playing career when his fashion start-up, Maniere De Voir, began to flourish.

Ater leaving Bolton in 2017, Wabara retired from football and dedicated himself full-time to his fashion career, a decision that has proven far more profitable than his football career.

Now 33, Wabara features on the Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated net worth of £83m, having grown Maniere De Voir from an online fashion brand to have a flagship store on Oxford Street, which opened last year.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Wabara is currently in New York preparing for a store opening on Broadway, with the Big Apple home to their largest customer base.

This move could see his earnings continue to increase - with his current figure, according to last year's Rich List, putting him ahead of football stars like Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling.

Erling Haaland has agreed a lucrative nine-year deal at City worth £500,000-per-week - but his net worth currently stands between £32million and £46million (Forbes), highlighting the significance of Wabara's accomplishments.

Erling Haaland is worth less than little-known former Manchester City youngster Wabara(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

In a December 2022 interview with CEOCAST, Wabara opened up about his football career, admitting: "It's my fault, I was complacent, I didn't go hard enough.

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."

On his switching focus to business over football, he explained: "I was playing for Wigan.

I had to make the logical choice and that was to continue the business and take it as high as possible."

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On his time at City, he added: "I was at Man City and around really high performing people at the top of their game, watching how they operated on a daily basis.
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