George Weah’s tale is not merely one of athletic brilliance but of relentless ambition, a narrative stitched together by moments of sheer genius on the pitch and unyielding resolve off it.
PART ONE
Raised in Clara Town, George Weah was the son of a mechanic and a merchant, one of thirteen children in a fractured family. His parents separated when he was an infant, leaving him under the care of his grandmother, Emma Klonjlaleh Brown, a devout Christian whose resilience became the blueprint for his future.
Football, however, offered an escape. By 15, Weah had joined Young Survivors, a local club, where his debut announced his prodigious talent: two thunderous goals, one ricocheting off both posts before nestling in the net.
The slums buzzed with whispers of a boy who played as though the ball were magnetized to his feet. Yet, his early career was no fairy tale. Dropping out of high school, he juggled football with a job as a switchboard operator at Liberia Telecommunications Corporation, his fingers dancing across cables by day and across muddy pitches by dusk.
His breakthrough came with Mighty Barrolle and later Invincible Eleven, where his 1987 Liberian Premier League title and Golden Boot thrust him into continental spotlight. Nevertheless, it was a friendly match against Cameroonian side Tonnerre Yaoundé that altered his trajectory.
Scoring a brace against them, Weah earned a contract, and in Cameroon, his flair caught the eye of Claude Le Roy, then manager of the Indomitable Lions. Le Roy’s recommendation to Arsène Wenger, then at Monaco, would prove pivotal.
In 1988, a 22-year-old Weah landed in Monaco, a principality synonymous with glitz and glamour, a world away from Clara Town’s grit. Wenger, a visionary yet unproven manager, had gambled £12,000 on raw talent, a bet that would pay dividends. Under Wenger’s tutelage, Weah evolved from a raw, powerful striker into a tactically astute forward, blending pace with precision.
Monaco’s 1990-91 Coupe de France triumph marked Weah’s first major silverware, his goal in the final against Marseille a testament to his burgeoning reputation. Furthermore, his performances in the 1991-92 Cup Winners’ Cup, where he netted four times, showcased his ability to thrive on Europe’s grandest stages.
By 1989, he had claimed his first African Footballer of the Year award, a accolade he dedicated to Liberia, a nation already ravaged by the throes of civil war.
Yet, Monaco’s financial constraints necessitated a move. Consequently, in 1992, Weah joined Paris Saint-Germain, embarking on a chapter that would cement his status as a global phenomenon.
PART TWO
Paris Saint-Germain in the early ’90s was a club brimming with ambition but starved of continental glory. Weah’s arrival injected urgency into their project. Partnering with David Ginola and Valdo, he formed a trident that terrorized Ligue 1, propelling PSG to the 1994 title. However, it was in the Champions League that Weah truly dazzled.
The 1994-95 campaign saw him finish as the tournament’s top scorer with seven goals, including a mesmerising solo effort against Bayern Munich. Collecting the ball near midfield, he slalomed past four defenders before slotting past Oliver Kahn, a goal that encapsulated his blend of brute force and balletic grace. PSG reached the semi-finals, falling narrowly to AC Milan, but Weah’s legend was sealed.
Off the pitch, his influence grew. Winning the African Footballer of the Year in 1994 for the second time, he became a symbol of hope for Liberia, sending match fees home to fund humanitarian efforts.
In 1995, Silvio Berlusconi’s AC Milan, a club synonymous with European royalty, secured Weah’s signature. The Rossoneri, still reeling from Marco van Basten’s retirement, needed a talisman. Weah, donning the iconic red-and-black stripes, filled the void with aplomb.
His debut season yielded Serie A glory under Fabio Capello, with Weah topping Milan’s scoring charts. Yet, it was a goal against Hellas Verona that etched his name into folklore. Receiving the ball from a corner inside his own penalty area, he embarked on a 90-meter sprint, leaving seven defenders in his wake before firing past the goalkeeper.
That year, Weah’s cabinet overflowed: Ballon d’Or, FIFA World Player of the Year, Onze d’Or. He remains the only African to claim these honors, a trifecta that underscored his transcendence.
Yet, adversity lurked. A 1996 tunnel altercation with Porto’s Jorge Costa, sparked by alleged racial abuse, saw Weah suspended for six European matches. Though exonerated, the incident marred his Milan tenure, a reminder of the prejudices shadowing his career.
By 2000, Weah’s prime had waned, but his ambition hadn’t. A loan spell at Chelsea reignited his flair for the dramatic, his debut winner against Tottenham endearing him to the Stamford Bridge faithful. An FA Cup triumph followed, yet Gianluca Vialli’s reluctance to extend his stay saw Weah join Manchester City.
His time at City, though brief, mirrored his career’s unpredictability: a League Cup brace against Gillingham, a league goal at Anfield, but frustration over bench duties. He eventually departed for Marseille and later signed for Al Jazira, where he retired in 2003.
PART THREE
George Weah made his international debut on 23 February 1986 against Burkina Faso, and although this date hardly resonates in the global memory of football, for Liberia, it marked the beginning of something extraordinary — the birth of a national talisman who would go on to become one of the finest players Africa has ever produced.
Despite his superhuman efforts, success at the highest level remained elusive. Liberia never qualified for a FIFA World Cup during Weah’s playing years, although they came heartbreakingly close in 2002, finishing just one point behind Nigeria in their qualifying group.
Still, there were triumphs, albeit modest by global standards. Liberia, powered by Weah’s enduring brilliance, reached the African Cup of Nations in both 1996 and 2002. Yet, on both occasions, they failed to advance beyond the group stage — perhaps predictably so, given the quality of opposition and the patchwork nature of their squad.
However, for a nation beset by political turmoil, poverty and war, just qualifying for the continental showpiece was cause enough for celebration, and for once, football was a unifying force in a fractured land.
His retirement from football birthed a new quest: rebuilding Liberia. Elected president in 2017, Weah swapped assists for policy, tackles for treaties. Though his tenure faced criticism—economic struggles, corruption allegations—his 2023 defeat to Joseph Boakai mirrored his football journey: valiant, but not victorious.
Driven by a desire to improve the lives of his fellow Liberians, Weah entered politics. His first attempt at the presidency in 2005 ended in defeat, but he didn’t walk away. Instead, he went back to school, earning degrees to better understand governance. In 2017, his perseverance paid off — George Weah was elected President of Liberia.
He had gone from the slums to the summit. From being the voice of a team to the voice of a nation. From striker to statesman.
As president, his tenure has been met with mixed reviews, as is often the case in politics. But one thing remains indisputable: his journey is one of the most extraordinary in sporting and political history.
When George Weah took the oath of office on January 22, 2018, it was a moment charged with symbolism. A former world footballer, once mocked for his lack of political experience, was now the democratically elected leader of Liberia.