Invited to participate in the So much soccer podcast, Wilfried Nancy opened up about his journey that took him to Montreal. Born in France, he traveled a lot with his father who was then in the French Navy. This course will have forged the man, the player, but also the coach he subsequently became.
Every two years, we changed country. I had the chance to discover other cultures, other countries. Today, it serves me a lot. I am able to be more open-minded. I manage to understand people a little more
, explains the one who qualifies himself as a kind of citizen of the world.
After a career as a second and third division player in Europe, Wilfried Nancy first arrived in Montreal with the plan to stay there for a year. He eventually fell in love with the City and never turned back.
He didn’t take any shortcuts. He has coached at all levels, including the Quebec teams and the sports-studies program of the Collège Français. He was part of this team, with Philippe Eullafroy and Jason Di Tullio among others, who built what would become the Montreal Impact Academy. He grew up quietly as a coach, polishing his style.
I had the chance to be able to build myself as a coach. I did some trial and error. During the 10 years that I spent with the club, I was able to experiment a lot. I put things in place, I clarified my vision
, argues the 44-year-old.
Wilfried Nancy, Rémi Garde and the Montreal Impact coaching team in 2018
Photo: Montreal Impact
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The one who made his debut with the organization in 2011 imagined himself becoming a first team coach for a long time. When Thierry Henry announced that he was leaving the ship less than two weeks before the start of training camp, there was no question of missing out on this opportunity.
In life, it’s all about the moments. I had the ambition to coach the team a little earlier, but in the end, it didn’t happen. Afterwards, when Thierry Henry decided to leave the club for good reasons, I was surprised. In past discussions, Olivier Renard knew that maybe I had the potential to have the team
, he says.
We had two or three discussions about that. At the end of the second, I felt it (that I had the job). I thought about when I started to graduate, I thought about the fact that I reached the pinnacle, I thought about everything that I went through, the fact that I got out of my zone of comfort to come to a country that I did not know. This is what I teach my children. You have to take risks in life.
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Wilfried Nancy admits all the same to have been cooled by the initial offer. The father of two then had no guarantee that his contract would extend beyond the current season.
I admit that I did not expect a year. I just wanted to have like the others. After talking, I understood why. After demonstrating my work, Olivier came back quickly enough to extend me. I’ve always had challenges in my life so I try to overcome them
, he confides.
Wilfried Nancy
Photo: Gracieuse from the Montreal Impact
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For ten years, Wilfried Nancy lived with the ambition to progress within the organization. Today, he finds himself at the top of the pyramid. He can only fall, and he is well aware of it.
It’s part of the job, he admits. Of course I would like to stay at the club for another ten years. Afterwards, I don’t control it. What interests me is trying to leave my mark here. I am proud to have grown up with this club.
Today, I am the leader of the technical team of this club. I’m happy, I’m proud, but I want to go even further, I want to try to write history for the club.
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