George Weah

George Manneh Oppong Weah (born 1 October 1966) is a Liberian politician and former professional footballer who served as the 25th president of Liberia from 2018 to 2024.

Prior to his election to the presidency, Weah served as Senator from Montserrado County.

George Manneh Oppong Weah was born on 1 October 1966 in Monrovia, the capital city of Liberia, and was raised in Clara Town, a slum in the city.

He is a member of the Kru ethnic group, which hail from south-eastern Liberia's Grand Kru County, one of the poorest areas of the country.

Weah began to play football for Young Survivors, a club based in Clara Town, in 1981 at the age of 15.

Jason Burke, writing for The Observer, described how Weah scored "two spectacular goals" on his debut, "one hit from such a tight angle that it went in-off having struck both posts".

In his three years with Young Survivors, the club earned two promotions, from the fourth level of football in Liberia to the second.

He signed for Liberian Premier League club Bong Range United in 1984, where he played for one season, before joining Mighty Barrolle, one of the biggest clubs in Liberia.

Weah was not a regular starter for Mighty Barrolle despite scoring regularly, which prompted a move to their rivals, Invincible Eleven, in 1986.

He helped the club win the 1987 Liberian Premier League title, was the league's top scorer, and was named as the league's player of the season.

Before his football career allowed him to move abroad, Weah worked for the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation as a switchboard operator.

He signed for Cameroonian Premier League club Tonnerre Yaoundé in 1987 after impressing during a match against them, and scored twice on his debut against Canon Yaoundé.

Weah's abilities were noticed by the Cameroon national team manager, Claude Le Roy, who recommended him to Arsène Wenger, the manager of French Division 1 club Monaco.

Arsène Wenger first brought him to Europe, signing him for Monaco in 1988.

Weah signed for Monaco 1988 for a transfer fee of £12,000, after Wenger had flown to Africa prior to the signing to see him play.

In 1989 and 1995, he was also named the African Footballer of the Year winning the official award twice, and in 1996, he was named African Player of the Century.

Known for his acceleration, speed, and dribbling ability, in addition to his goalscoring and finishing, Weah was described by FIFA as "the precursor of the multi-functional strikers of today".

Weah moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 1992 where they won Division 1 in 1994 and became the top scorer of the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League.

He signed for AC Milan in 1995 where he spent four successful seasons, winning the Serie A twice.

He moved to the Premier League towards the end of his career and had spells at Chelsea and Manchester City, winning the FA Cup at the former, before returning to France to play for Marseille in 2001.

He played as a striker in his prolific 18-year professional football career, which ended in 2003.

Weah is the first African former professional footballer to become a head of state.

After beginning his career in his native Liberia, Weah spent 14 years playing for clubs in France, Italy and England.

He ended his career with Al Jazira in 2003.

FourFourTwo named Weah one of the best players never to win the UEFA Champions League.

Weah represented Liberia at the international level, winning 75 caps and scoring 18 goals for his country and playing at the African Cup of Nations on two occasions.

In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.

Weah became involved in politics in Liberia following his retirement from football.

He formed the Congress for Democratic Change and 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 unsuccessfully for vice president alongside Winston Tubman.

His father, William T. Weah Sr., was a mechanic while his mother, Anna Quayeweah (d. 2013), was a merchant.

He has three brothers, William, Moses and Wolo.

He was one of thirteen children largely raised by his devoutly Christian paternal grandmother, Emma Klonjlaleh Brown, after his parents separated when Weah was still a baby.

He attended middle school at Muslim Congress and high school at Wells Hairston High School, and reportedly dropped out in his final year of studies.

Weah was subsequently elected to the Senate of Liberia for Montserrado County in the 2014 election.

He also played in a friendly in 2018, where his number 14 jersey was retired.

Regarded as one of the best players never to have played at the FIFA World Cup, Scott Murray in The Guardian refers to Weah as "hamstrung by hailing from a global minnow".

Widely regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time, Weah was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or, becoming the first and only player to win these awards while representing an African country internationally.

Weah was elected President of Liberia in the 2017 election, defeating the incumbent vice president Joseph Boakai, and was sworn in on 22 January 2018.

Weah was defeated in a rematch with Boakai in the 2023 election.