'Meteoric rise of mad scientist Nancy'

One of the first things to impress onlookers, apart from his style of football, is the speed of new Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy's rise to prominence.

The current Columbus Crew head coach landed his first managerial job in 2021, taking over from his friend and former boss Thierry Henry at CF Montreal. Not bad for a man who, just a few short years earlier, was coaching Under-14 girls.

It appears Nancy, 48, is no stranger to a steep learning curve, as ESPN broadcaster and former USA striker Herculez Gomez explains.

"He has an idea of how he wants to play, it's very brave, it's very nuanced," said the American.

"It's very New Age, modern football, if you will, but in a crazy, mad scientist way. That's who he's been from day one, and it's really gone well.

"I say meteoric rise because 2021 is when he got his first professional stint as a manager, and since then, he's collected a few titles. Canadian Championship, MLS Leagues Cup, MLS Cup."

Born in Le Havre, France, in 1977 to a father from Guadeloupe and a mother from West Africa, Nancy is already something of a trailblazer.

"He was the first black head coach in the history of Major League Soccer to win a title," Gomez explained.

"They'd never had a black coach lift the MLS Cup, and he did it with a certain type of brand, and I guess the best way to describe him is he's brave in his football.

"Speak to his players and they'll say the result is secondary. Secondary because he wants to implement the brand first, and the rest follows."

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