17 Things I know About 'George Weah' Soccer Career

If you were to ask me, “What do you know about soccer,” I would respond, “I know George Weah.”  What else is there to know about soccer than to know everything about the legend out of Liberia?  I know that his “no guilt, no shame, no blame,” philosophy gives him the confidence to get out of his comfort zone and step into the big play in politics. 

                                                                    

1.      Name: Tawlon George Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah (George Weah)

2.      Born on the 1st of October 1966 in Monrovia, Liberia, Weah is a member of the Kru ethnic group.

3.      He grew up with his grandmother in the Clara Town slum, near the capital Monrovia.

4.      He had job as an engineer with the national telephone company before his career took off.

5.      He was an amateur at Barolle Mighty and Invincible Eleven.

6.      Weah left his home and moved to Cameroon to Tonnerre Yaoundé, which was one of the strongest teams in the continent. With his new club, the exceptional striker attracted the attention of top European clubs and aroused their interest.

7.      In 1988, after only one year in Cameroon, he packed suitcase and moved to Europe to AS Monaco.

8.      When he was discovered at 21, the coach and discoverer, Arsene Wenger said, "Weah was a real surprise. For me it was like a child discovering a chocolate bunny in his garden at Easter. I have never seen any player explode on to the scene like he did".

9.      He played his first professional game on August 17, 1988 against AJ Auxerre.

10.  He transferred to PSG in 1992.

11.  In 1994 he became French champion, won the cup in 1993 and 1995, and won the League Cup in 1995. With outstanding performances in the Champions League, he catapulted into the position of "world-class striker", and was the first ever African to be elected Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player.

12.  In 1995, Weah was signed by Italian giants, AC Milan, and the fans of the "Rossoneri" saw the African as the legitimate successor to Marco van Basten.

13.  In his first season (1995/96), he won the championship (Scudetto), but at the international level, the club could not build on the successes of previous years.

14.  He took part in the 1996 and 2002 Africa Cup of Nations.

15.  During the winter break of the 1999/2000 season he was loaned out to Chelsea in London. After a year there and the following as short stint at Manchester City, he switched to French Club Olympic Marseille before hanging up his boots in 2003.

16.  He never succeeded in qualifying for the World Cup finals—a fate he shares with exceptional players like Ryan Giggs and George Best.

17.  He is on record for being the only African football player to have won the FIFA World Best and the European Best player awards back in 1995 and was inducted in to the world football governing body, FIFA Hall of Fame on Sunday, November 10th, 2013 in Mexico.

 

Come on folks, let give it up for the man.