George Weah

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For his son, see George Weah Jr.
George Weah
Senator of Montserrado County
Assumed office
20 December 2014
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Vice President Joseph Boakai
Preceded by Joyce Musu Freeman Sumo
Personal details
Born George Tawlon Manneh
Oppong Ousman Weah
(1966-10-01) 1 October 1966 (age 57)
Monrovia, Liberia
Nationality Liberian
Political party Congress for Democratic Change
Height Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value).
Relations Christopher Wreh (cousin)
Children George Jr., Tita, Timothy
Education Muslim Congress
Wells Hairston High School
Occupation Footballer (retired)
Politician
Humanitarian
Religion Protestantism
Islam (former)
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Association football career
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1981–1984 Young Survivors Claratown
1984–1985 Bongrange Company
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1986 Mighty Barrolle 10 (7)
1986–1987 Invincible Eleven 23 (24)
1987 Africa Sports 2 (1)
1987–1988 Tonnerre Yaoundé 18 (14)
1988–1992 Monaco 103 (47)
1992–1995 Paris Saint-Germain 96 (32)
1995–2000 Milan 114 (46)
2000 → Chelsea (loan) 11 (3)
2000 Manchester City 7 (1)
2000–2001 Marseille 19 (5)
2001–2003 Al-Jazira 8 (13)
Total 411 (193)
International career
1987–2007 Liberia 60 (22)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah (born 1 October 1966)[1] is a Liberian humanitarian, politician, and retired footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time and of his generation, in 1995 he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or. In 1989, 1994 and 1995 he was the African Footballer of the Year. In 2004 he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.[2]

Weah spent fourteen years of his professional football career playing for clubs in France, Italy, and England. Arsène Wenger brought him to Europe when he signed for Monaco in 1988. Weah moved to Paris Saint Germain in 1992 where he won Ligue 1 in 1994 and became the top scorer of the UEFA Champions League 1994–95. He signed for A.C. Milan in 1995 where he spent four very successful seasons, scoring some spectacular goals (the most notable running the length of the field against Verona), and won Serie A twice.[3] He moved to the English Premier League towards the end of his career and had spells at Chelsea and Manchester City.

An idol in Africa, Weah has been heavily involved in politics in his homeland Liberia. He ran unsuccessfully for president in the 2005 election, losing to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the second round of voting. In the 2011 election, he ran for vice president on Winston Tubman's ticket. Running as a Congress for Democratic Change candidate, Weah was elected to the Senate in 2014.

Football career

After playing in the Liberian domestic league at the beginning of his successful career, and winning several national honours (including the Liberian Premier League and the Liberian Cup),[4] Weah moved to Europe in 1988, when he was signed by Arsène Wenger,[5] who was the manager of Monaco at the time, whom Weah credits as an important influence on his career.[6] At Monaco, Weah was a member of the team that won the French Cup in 1991, and he helped his club to reach the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1992, scoring 4 goals in 9 cup appearances. Weah subsequently played for Paris Saint Germain (1992–95), with whom he won the Coupe de France in 1993 and 1995, the French league in 1994, the Coupe de la Ligue in 1995 during a highly prolific and successful period; he also became the top scorer of the UEFA Champions League 1994–95, with 7 goals, after reaching the semi-finals with the club, one of which was a skilful wonder goal against Bayern Munich in the group stage, on the 23rd November 1994.[4][7] He also managed to reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup during the 1992-93 season, and the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup during the 1993-94 season; in total, he scored 16 goals in 25 European games.[4]

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Weah was a real surprise. I have never seen any player explode on to the scene like he did.

— Arsène Wenger[4]

Weah moved to AC Milan in 1995 with whom he won the Italian league in 1996 and 1999, also reaching the 1998 Coppa Italia final, and finishing as runners-up in the Supercoppa Italiana on two occasions, in 1996 and 1999. Despite their European dominance in the early 1990s, Milan were less successful in Europe during this time however, with their best result being a quarter-final finish in the 1995-96 UEFA Cup. In 1995 Weah won the Ballon d'Or, the Onze d'Or, and was named FIFA World Player of the Year, becoming the first native African player to ever win these awards.[4] In addition to his skill and goalscoring prowess, Weah also became famous at Milan for scoring a solo goal against Verona at the San Siro which saw him take the ball just outside his own penalty area, and slalom his way past seven opposing players, before scoring.[4] In 1996, Weah finished second in the FIFA World Player of the Year ranking. After leaving Milan in January 2000 Weah moved to Chelsea, winning the F.A. Cup in 2000, later transferring to Manchester City, and Olympique Marseille in quick succession, before leaving Marseille in May 2001 for Al Jazira FC, in the United Arab Emirates, where he remained until his retirement as a player in 2003.[4]

As successful as he was at club level, Weah was not able to bring over that success to the Liberian national team, scoring 13 goals in 60 games. As one of the smaller nations in world football and perennial underdogs, Weah did everything with the national squad from playing to coaching to financing it, but failed to qualify for a single World Cup, falling just a point short in qualifying for the 2002 tournament. He was able to help his country qualify for two editions of the African Cup of Nations, in 1996 and 2002, but on both occasions, they were eliminated in the first round.[4]

FIFA World Player of the Year 1995

Weah was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1995, becoming the first and, currently, only African player to win the award.[4] He was the fifth recipient of the award.

African Player of the Year 1989, 1994 and 1995

Weah won the African Footballer of the Year in 1989 when he was with AS Monaco, 1994 when he was at Paris Saint Germain, and 1995 with AC Milan.[4] That year he won almost every award a footballer could win. When he won the award in 1989, it was his first major award and he took it back home for the entire country to celebrate, similar to what he did when he won the world best title and the Onze Mondial title.

European Player of the Year 1995

Weah won the Ballon d'Or (European Player of the Year) in 1995, becoming the first and, currently, only African player to win the award.[4] Sports writers from all over Europe voted and awarded Weah as the best player in Europe for the year. When he won the World player of the year he dedicated it to his manager Arsene Wenger who made him a world class player.

Onze Mondial 1995

  • The French Magazine name Weah as the top player in Europe for 1995, awarding him the Onze d'Or prize that year.
  • FIFA Fair Play Award 1996
  • African Player of the Year

African Player of the Century

Weah was voted the African Player of the Century by sport journalists from all around the world.[4] Pelé won the same award as the South American Player of the Century and Johan Cruyff as the European Player of the Century.

Controversy

Weah was banned from six European matches for breaking the nose of the Portuguese defender Jorge Costa on 20 November 1996 in the players' tunnel after AC Milan's draw at FC Porto. Weah said he exploded in frustration after putting up with racist tauntings from Jorge Costa during both of the teams' matches that autumn in the Champions League. Costa strenuously denied the accusations of racism and was not charged by UEFA as no witnesses could verify Weah's allegations, not even his Milan team mates. Weah later attempted to apologise to Costa but this was rebuffed by the Portuguese, who considered the charges of racist insults levelled against him to be defamatory and took the Liberian to court.[8] The incident led to him undergoing facial surgery and he was subsequently sidelined for three weeks. Despite the incident Weah still received the FIFA Fair Play Award in 1996.[9]

Spell in England

Weah signed for Chelsea on loan from Milan on 11 January 2000, in a deal which would keep him with the West London club until the end of the 1999–2000 English season.[10]

Weah's time in England was deemed a success, especially at Chelsea where he instantly endeared himself to their fans by scoring the winner against rivals Tottenham Hotspur on his debut,[11] and scored further league goals against Wimbledon[12] and Liverpool.[13] He also scored twice in Chelsea's victorious 1999–2000 FA Cup campaign, netting crucial goals against Leicester City[14] and Gillingham.[15] This led to him starting in the final, which Chelsea won 1–0.

Chelsea manager Gianluca Vialli did not make Weah's move permanent, and on 1 August 2000 he signed for newly promoted English Premier League side Manchester City on a free transfer on a two-year contract worth £30,000 a week,[16] declining the offer of a £1 million pay-off from Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi.[17] He played 11 games in all competitions for City, scoring four times, before leaving on 16 October 2000 after becoming dissatisfied with manager Joe Royle for selecting him as a substitute too frequently; he had only played the full 90 minutes in three of his 11 games for the Maine Road club.[18] At City he scored once in the league against Liverpool (as he did at Chelsea),[19] and three times against Gillingham (again as he had at Chelsea), this time in the League Cup; once in the first leg[20] and twice in the second.[21]

Later career

Weah had spells at Marseille in France and Al-Jazira from the UAE Arabian Gulf League before retiring in 2003, aged 37.[4]

International career

Weah played 60 games for Liberia over 20 years, scoring 22 goals. He has been the team's star player, a coach and to a large extent, funded the team. Although he was unsuccessful in helping his team qualify for a World Cup, missing out on the 2002 edition by a single point, he helped Liberia to qualify for the African Cup of Nations on two occasions, representing his country in the 1996 and 2002 editions, although Liberia failed to make it out of their group on both occasions of the tournament.

Along with greats in the sport such as Alfredo Di Stéfano and George Best, Weah is regarded as being among the best football players who never got the chance to play at a World Cup.[22]

Style of play

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An exceptional goalscorer, it is no exaggeration to describe him as the precursor of the multi-functional strikers of today. Quick, skilful and boasting a powerful physique, fierce shooting power and deadly finishing skills, in his pomp Liberia's 'Mr George' was rightly considered one of the giants of the game.

— FIFA profile of George Weah.[23]

During his prime in the 1990s, Weah was regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, and was lauded for his work-rate, as well as his physical and athletic attributes, which he combined with his finishing, technical ability, creativity and skill.[23] A fast, powerful, physically strong player, he successfully filled the void left in the Milan attack by club legend Marco van Basten.[3][23][24] In addition to his pace, dribbling skills, and goalscoring ability, Weah was also a team-player who was capable of creating chances and assisting goals for team-mates.[25][26] Along with Ronaldo and Romário, Weah was seen as a modern, new breed of striker in the 1990s who would also operate outside the penalty area and run with the ball towards goal, during a time when most strikers primarily operated inside the penalty area where they would receive the ball from team mates.[23][27][28]

Named African Footballer of the Year three times and become the first African to be named FIFA World Player of the Year, his prominence in the 1990s led him to be nicknamed "King George".[24] Weah received further recognition in 2004 when he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.[2] In 2013, Italy and AC Milan legend Franco Baresi named Weah in the greatest XI he has ever played with.[29] As well as being regarded as one of the greatest African footballers of all time, during his career Weah also stood out off the pitch for his initiatives to fight racism in football.[3]

Media

Weah features in EA Sports' FIFA video game series, and was named in the Ultimate Team Legends in FIFA 14.[30]

Humanitarianism

Weah is a devoted humanitarian for his war-torn country. At the 2004 ESPY Awards at the Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles, Weah won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award for his efforts.[31] He has also been named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, a role which he has suspended while he pursues a political career.

Football and children

Weah has tried to use football as a way to bring happiness and promote education for children in Liberia. In 1998, Weah launched a CD called Lively Up Africa featuring the singer Frisbie Omo Isibor and eight other African football stars. The proceeds from this CD went to children's programmes in the countries of origin of the athletes involved.

Weah was President of the Junior Professionals, a football team he founded in Monrovia in 1994. The team is now defunct. As a way to encourage young people to remain in school, the club's only requirement for membership is school attendance. Many of the young people, recruited from all over Liberia, have gone on to play for the Liberian national team.

In 1998 a documentary about Weah's footballing career at AC Milan was made broadcast on The A - Force BBC-TV, it was made by Pogus Caesar a British award winning producer and director.

Personal life

George Weah was born and raised in the Clara Town slum of Monrovia. He is a member of the Kru ethnic group, which hails from south-eastern Liberia's Grand Kru County, one of the poorest areas of the country. His parents were William T. Weah, Sr. and Anna Quayeweah. He was raised largely by his paternal grandmother, Emma Klonjlaleh Brown. He attended middle school at Muslim Congress and high school at Wells Hairston High School. Before his football career allowed him to move abroad, Weah worked for the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation as a switchboard technician.

He has three children: George Weah Jr, Tita and Timothy. After a trial with Chelsea in 2013, Timothy signed with Paris Saint-Germain in 2015.[32][33] He also plays for the United States at youth level.[34] Weah's cousin Christopher Wreh was also a professional footballer, most notably for Arsenal FC.

George Weah converted from Protestant Christianity to Islam, before converting back. He hopes for peace for Muslims and Christians, and says they are "one people."[35] Nowadays Weah professes Protestantism.[36]

Political career

Following the end of Second Liberian Civil War, Weah announced his intention to run for President of Liberia in the 2005 elections, forming the Congress for Democratic Change to back his candidacy. While Weah was a popular figure in Liberia, opponents cited his lack of formal education as a handicap to his ability to lead the country, in contrast with his Harvard-educated opponent, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Analysts also noted Weah's lack of experience, calling him a "babe-in-the-woods", while Sirleaf had served as Minister of Finance in the Tolbert administration in the 1970s and had held positions at Citibank, the World Bank and the United Nations.[37] Weah's eligibility to run for Presidency was also called into question as it was reported that he had become a French citizen in his footballing career at Paris St. Germain, but these complaints were rebuffed by the electoral commission in court and Weah was allowed to proceed.

Weah obtained a plurality of votes in the first round of voting on 11 October, garnering 28.3% of the vote. This qualified him to compete in a run-off election against Sirleaf, the second placed candidate. However, he lost the run-off to Sirleaf on 8 November, garnering only 40.6% to 59.4% for Sirleaf. Weah alleged that the election had been rigged through voter intimidation and ballot tampering, and many of his supporters protested the results in the streets of Monrovia. However, after assurances that the vote was fair several prominent African leaders called on Weah's supporters to accept the result with grace and dignity, and Sirleaf became President. The African Union had characterized the elections as "peaceful, transparent, and fair".[38]

Weah's lack of education became a campaign issue. He has been highly critical of those who say he is not fit to govern: "With all their education and experience, they have governed this nation for hundreds of years. They have never done anything for the nation." He initially claimed to have a BA degree in Sports Management from Parkwood University in London. However this is an unaccredited diploma mill which awards certificates without requiring study.[39] Weah then pursued a degree in business administration at DeVry University in Miami.[40][41]

Weah also remained active in Liberian politics, returning from the United States in 2009 to successfully campaign for the Congress for Democratic Change candidate in the Montserrado County senatorial by-election.[42] Some analysts saw these moves as preparation for a repeat run for the Presidency in 2011,[43] and Weah did indeed later announce his intention to challenge Sirleaf in the 2011 election.[44] After a series of failed alliances with other opposition parties, the Congress for Democratic Change chose Weah as its 2011 vice presidential candidate, running with presidential candidate Winston Tubman.[45]

In 2014 he ran for election to the Senate as a Congress for Democratic Change candidate in Montserrado County. He was overwhelmingly elected to the Liberian Senate on December 20, 2014. Weah defeated Robert Sirleaf, the son of President Sirleaf, becoming the first Liberian international athlete elected to represent a county in the Legislature. He won a landslide victory, receiving 99,226 votes, which represented 78.0% of the total votes from the 141 polling centers, while Sirleaf, his closest rival received 13,692 votes, which is nearly 11% in the election marred only by a low turnout.[46][47]

Career statistics

In Europe

[48] [49]

Club Season League Cup League Cup Super Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Monaco 1988–89 23 14 10 1 - - - - 5 2 38 17
1989–90 17 5 - - - - - - 7 3 24 8
1990–91 29 10 6 5 - - - - 5 3 40 18
1991–92 34 18 4 1 - - - - 9 4 47 23
PSG 1992–93 30 14 6 2 - - - - 9 7 45 23
1993–94 32 11 3 2 - - - - 5 1 40 14
1994–95 34 7 5 2 3 1 - - 11 8 53 18
Milan 1995–96 26 11 3 1 - - 1 0 6 3 36 15
1996–97 28 13 2 0 - - - - 5 3 35 16
1997–98 24 10 8 3 - - - - - - 32 13
1998–99 26 8 4 1 - - - - - - 30 9
1999–00 10 4 2 0 - - 1 0 1 1 14 5
Chelsea 1999-00 11 3 4 2 - - - - - - 15 5
Manchester City 2000–01 7 1 - - 2 3 - - - - 9 4
Marseille 2000–01 19 5 1 0 - - - - - - 20 5
Total 350 134 58 20 5 4 2 0 63 35 478 193

International

National Team Year Apps Goals
Liberia
1987 1 1
1988 2 1
1989 5 2
1990 - -
1991 - -
1992 - -
1993 - -
1994 2 1
1995 5 3
1996 6 3
1997 9 4
1998 3 1
1999 3 1
2000 7 1
2001 11 3
2002 3 1
2003 - -
2004 - -
2005 - -
2006 - -
2007 1 0
Total 60 22

International goals

Scores and results list Liberia's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 1987-01-30 National Complex, Monrovia  Nigeria 1–0 2–0 1987 West African Nations Cup
2. 1988-08-21 National Complex, Monrovia  Ghana 1–0 2–0 1990 World Cup qualifier
3. 1989-06-11 National Complex, Monrovia  Malawi 1–0 1–0 1990 World Cup qualifier
4. 1994-09-04 National Complex, Monrovia  Togo 1–0 1–0 1996 African Cup of Nations qualifier
5. 1996-06-23 Accra Sports Stadium, Accra  Gambia 2–0 4–0 1998 World Cup qualifier
6. 1997-04-06 Accra Sports Stadium, Accra  Egypt 1–0 1–0 1998 World Cup qualifier
7. 1997-06-22 National Complex, Monrovia  DR Congo 2–0 2–1 1998 African Cup of Nations qualifier
8. 1999-06-20 National Complex, Monrovia  Tunisia 2–0 2–0 2000 African Cup of Nations qualifier
9. 2000-07-16 National Complex, Monrovia  Cape Verde 1–0 3–0 2002 African Cup of Nations qualifier
10. 2001-04-22 National Complex, Monrovia  Sudan 2–0 2–0 2002 World Cup qualifier
11. 2001-07-14 National Stadium, Freetown  Sierra Leone 1–0 1–0 2002 World Cup qualifier
12. 2001-08-23 Estadio Luis de la Fuente, Veracruz  Mexico 1–2 4–5 Friendly
13. 2002-01-19 Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako  Mali 1–0 1–1 2002 African Cup of Nations

Honours

Player

Mighty Barrolle

Invincible Eleven

AS Monaco

Paris Saint-Germain

Milan

Chelsea

Individual

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 "Iconic Weah a true great". FIFA.com. Retrieved 17 November 2013
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ "The best footballers to have never played in the World Cup". Daily Mail. Retrieved 21 January 2015
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ "Ronaldo, Romario Reinvented Striker's Role, Says Thierry Henry". In Sports. Retrieved 16 January 2015
  29. ↑ "Italian Franco Baresi picks One2Eleven on the Fantasy Football Club". Sky Sports. Retrieved 16 January 2015
  30. ↑ "FIFA 14 Ultimate Team Legends". EA Sports. Retrieved 6 February 2015
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ You quizzed George Weah – BBC.com
  36. ↑ [1]
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Liberia's George Weah to Seek a College Degree. Voice of America. 19 June 2007. Accessed 30 November 2009
  41. ↑ George Weah gets educated in quest for election. USA Today. 11 August 2010. Accessed 11 August 2010
  42. ↑ Weah Confronted. Liberian Observer 25 November 2009. Accessed 30 November 2009
  43. ↑ College-bound George Weah gave us something to talk about. The Liberian Dialogue 22 July 2007. Accessed 30 November 2009
  44. ↑ http://allafrica.com/stories/201008260072.html
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Montserrado County NEC Liberia
  47. ↑ http://www.liberianobserver.com
  48. ↑ [2] Statistics link
  49. ↑ [3] Statistics link 2
  50. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. ↑ FIFA XI´s Matches - Full Info
  52. ↑ http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/franpoy.html
  53. ↑ http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/iffhs-century.html#afpoy
  54. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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