So let's intimate you with some amazingly interesting facts about this man called George Weah...enjoy!!
* George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah is the President-elect of Liberia and a retired professional footballer who played as a striker.
* Weah was born in Monrovia, the nation's capital on October 1, 1966.
* 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.
* His father, William T. Weah, Sr. was a mechanic while his mother, Anna Quayeweah (d. 2013), was a seller. He has three brothers, William, Moses and Wolo.
* He was one of thirteen children largely raised by his devoutly Christian paternal grandmother.
* 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.
* Before his football career allowed him to move abroad, Weah worked for the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation as a switchboard technician.
* George Weah is married to Jamaican born wife, Clar Weah.
* Geroge Weah has three children, George Weah Jr, Tita and Timothy.
* George Weah Jr has a daul citizenship. Liberia and an American.
* Arsene Wenger brought George Weah to Europe where he signed for Monaco in 1988
* Weah football career saw him move to Paris Saint German in 1992 where he won Ligue 1 in 1994 and became the top scorer of the 1994-95 UEFA Champions League.
* He became the top scorer of the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League, with seven goals, after reaching the semi-finals with the club, one of which was a skilful individual "wonder-goal" against Bayern Munich in the group stage, on 23 November 1994.
* The footballer turned politician signed for AC Milan in 1995 where he spent four successful seasons, and won the Italian Serie A, twice. His most notable goal in Italy saw him run the length of the field against Verona.
* In 1996, Weah finished second in the FIFA World Player of the Year ranking; he was also the recipient of the FIFA Fair Play Award, and was voted the African Player of the Century by sport journalists from all around the world.
* He moved to the English Premier League towards the end of his career and had spells at Chelsea and Manchester City, before returning to France to play for Marseille in 2001, and subsequently ending his career with Al-Jazira in 2003.
* Weah represented Liberia at the African Cup of Nations on two occasions. He played 60 games for Liberia over 20 years, scoring 22 goals.
* Weah is regarded as being among the best football players who never got the chance to play at a World Cup. However, he was unfortunate not to be eligible for any World Cup.
* 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". In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
* He contested in the Liberia 2005 presidential election but lost to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the second round of voting.
* Weah was elected to the Senate in 2014.
* He will be the only retired professional footballer to have achieved the feat of emerging as the president of a country.
* At the age of 22, Weah was discovered by Cameroon national team Coach Claude Le Roy, who told then AS Monaco manager Arsene Wenger about his abilities. Wenger flew to Africa to see the player himself and was impressed by the young forward. He brought him to Europe in 1988 where he signed for Monaco.
* He is the only African footballer and a first non-European player to win the Ballon d’Or. After spectacular performances with PSG and then AC Milan, his goals were hard to ignore. He was subsequently voted 1995 African, European, and World player of the year.
* Weah is a generous philanthropist and a true patriot. Even before he hanged up his boots, he would often pay, out of his own pocket for the Liberian National team to travel for matches abroad.
* 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.
* After retiring, he realized soccer could be a stabilizing force in Liberia and joined the national team as a player-manager. He spent over $ 2 million of his money trying to revitalize the Lone Stars hence leading them on an impressive run through the 2002 World Cup qualifiers.
* In 2004, Weah was named by Edson Arantes do Nascimento aka Pele in the in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players.
* In addition to winning the African player of the year in 1989 and 1994, he was voted by journalists across the continent as the Best African Player of the 20th.
* The last club Weah played for was Al Jazira, scoring a total of 193 goals in all his 18 years of club football.
* Weah was born into Christianity but converted to Islam after falling in love with the Islamic way of life. After ten years of devotion to the Islamic faith, he reverted to Christianity after his grandmother’s death.
* Did you know the former Ballon D’or winner shares something in common with Nigeria? George was birthed in Monrovia, Liberia. He was born on October 1st, 1996 on the sixth anniversary of Nigeria’s independence.
* The president-elect got his university degree at the age of 39 in 2005. In his first run for president, Weah’s critics focused on his lack of a college degree as for why he was unfit for office. He didn’t let that hurt his ego, and instead, it motivated him to enroll at Devry University in Florida where he graduated with a degree in Business Management.
* Finally, Weah is the first retired professional footballer to win a presidential seat in a country. Many have tried standing for political positions, but none had dared to contest for the head of state.
Former world footballer of the year, George Weah, has been announced as the winner of Liberia’s presidential run-off beating vice president Joseph Boakai.
* Weah is set to replace incumbent Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who leaves office after serving two terms. Following the feat achieved by the ex-footballer turned politician.
* Reports suggest that the 51-year-old former World Footballer of the Year swept thirteen (13) out of the fifteen (15) counties with his 73-year-old opponent Joseph Boakai getting only two (2) counties.
* Pending his swearing in, Weah will be the 25th President of Liberia with a population of just over 3 million.
* He returned to Liberia in 2003 after the ouster of then-President Charles Taylor.
*In 2005, he ran for Presidency but lost to incumbent Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
* Although he contested the result, the Congress for Democratic Change Candidate (CDC), dropped the case one month later.
* When the country went to the polls in 2011, the former Chelsea man contested, as vice presidential candidate with Winston Tubman. The duo lost after the running-off polls.
* And continuing his political foray, Weah, in December 2014 ran for senator of Montserrado county under the CDC. He defeated his closest opponent, Robert Sirleaf, winning 78 percent of the vote to Sirleaf’s almost 11 percent.
* Weah is called "King Weah" by Liberians.
* After a poor run at the 2002 Afcon, the former AC Milan forward quit the Leone Stars which he had partly sponsored and coached.
* He was named the African, European, and World Player of the Year in 1995 - the only African to have done so.
* Before winning the World Player of The Year, he had in 1989 clinched the African Player of the Year award.
* Clubs he played for in Europe are:
- AS Monaco (1987–92)
- Paris Saint German (1992-1995)
- A.C Milan (1995–2000)
-Manchester City
-Marseille
- Chelsea
* Weah’s love for music led him to a completely different path. He paired up with fellow African musicians to produce a song calling for an end to wars in Africa. In 2014, a popular Ghanaian musician, with Weah on his side, created a song to raise awareness about Ebola disease.
* He was also appointed ambassador by Unicef.
* Weah ‘rags-to-riches’ story goes back to his formative years in the slum of Clara Town of Liberia an area built on a swamp and beset by disease and overcrowding. He is seen as a hero by his supporters as he overcame challenges and rose to stardom.
* Weah’s lack of political experience caused a backlash when he began his run for presidency in 2006. However, he remained positive, and said: “Many critics said that I wouldn’t make it. Many suggested that I would be a failure, but I didn’t listen to them.”
* This will be the first time Liberians will witness a shift of power from one elected leader to another. Whichever way it goes, Weah will be recognized for bringing a breath of fresh air to Liberian politics.
* Weah’s election according to reports, has some controversies as his running mate, Jewel Taylor, is the former wife of the warlord and ex-President Charles Taylor, who is still serving a jail term in the UK for war crimes.
* George was banned from six European matches for breaking the nose of Portuguese defender, Jorge Costa on 20th November, 1996 in the players’ tunnel after Milan drew against Porto in the Champions League.
* 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, and scored further league goals against Wimbledon and Liverpool.
* 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 teammates.
* 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.
* In October 2017, he was spotted in the prominent Nigerian church of Pastor T.B. Joshua alongside Liberian Senator Prince Yormie Johnson. Joshua was allegedly a key influence in Johnson's decision to endorse Weah's candidacy in the 2017 Liberian elections.
* He holds French citizenship and speaks the language fluently.
* Weah was born in Monrovia, the nation's capital on October 1, 1966.
* 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.
* His father, William T. Weah, Sr. was a mechanic while his mother, Anna Quayeweah (d. 2013), was a seller. He has three brothers, William, Moses and Wolo.
* He was one of thirteen children largely raised by his devoutly Christian paternal grandmother.
* 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.
* Before his football career allowed him to move abroad, Weah worked for the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation as a switchboard technician.
* George Weah is married to Jamaican born wife, Clar Weah.
* Geroge Weah has three children, George Weah Jr, Tita and Timothy.
* George Weah Jr has a daul citizenship. Liberia and an American.
* Arsene Wenger brought George Weah to Europe where he signed for Monaco in 1988
* Weah football career saw him move to Paris Saint German in 1992 where he won Ligue 1 in 1994 and became the top scorer of the 1994-95 UEFA Champions League.
* He became the top scorer of the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League, with seven goals, after reaching the semi-finals with the club, one of which was a skilful individual "wonder-goal" against Bayern Munich in the group stage, on 23 November 1994.
This is the link to the goal, absolutely astonishing goal!!
* The footballer turned politician signed for AC Milan in 1995 where he spent four successful seasons, and won the Italian Serie A, twice. His most notable goal in Italy saw him run the length of the field against Verona.
This is the link to the wonder goal
* In 1996, Weah finished second in the FIFA World Player of the Year ranking; he was also the recipient of the FIFA Fair Play Award, and was voted the African Player of the Century by sport journalists from all around the world.
* He moved to the English Premier League towards the end of his career and had spells at Chelsea and Manchester City, before returning to France to play for Marseille in 2001, and subsequently ending his career with Al-Jazira in 2003.
* Weah represented Liberia at the African Cup of Nations on two occasions. He played 60 games for Liberia over 20 years, scoring 22 goals.
* Weah is regarded as being among the best football players who never got the chance to play at a World Cup. However, he was unfortunate not to be eligible for any World Cup.
* 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". In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
* He contested in the Liberia 2005 presidential election but lost to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the second round of voting.
* Weah was elected to the Senate in 2014.
* He will be the only retired professional footballer to have achieved the feat of emerging as the president of a country.
* At the age of 22, Weah was discovered by Cameroon national team Coach Claude Le Roy, who told then AS Monaco manager Arsene Wenger about his abilities. Wenger flew to Africa to see the player himself and was impressed by the young forward. He brought him to Europe in 1988 where he signed for Monaco.
* He is the only African footballer and a first non-European player to win the Ballon d’Or. After spectacular performances with PSG and then AC Milan, his goals were hard to ignore. He was subsequently voted 1995 African, European, and World player of the year.
* Weah is a generous philanthropist and a true patriot. Even before he hanged up his boots, he would often pay, out of his own pocket for the Liberian National team to travel for matches abroad.
* 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.
* After retiring, he realized soccer could be a stabilizing force in Liberia and joined the national team as a player-manager. He spent over $ 2 million of his money trying to revitalize the Lone Stars hence leading them on an impressive run through the 2002 World Cup qualifiers.
* In 2004, Weah was named by Edson Arantes do Nascimento aka Pele in the in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players.
* In addition to winning the African player of the year in 1989 and 1994, he was voted by journalists across the continent as the Best African Player of the 20th.
* The last club Weah played for was Al Jazira, scoring a total of 193 goals in all his 18 years of club football.
* Weah was born into Christianity but converted to Islam after falling in love with the Islamic way of life. After ten years of devotion to the Islamic faith, he reverted to Christianity after his grandmother’s death.
* Did you know the former Ballon D’or winner shares something in common with Nigeria? George was birthed in Monrovia, Liberia. He was born on October 1st, 1996 on the sixth anniversary of Nigeria’s independence.
* The president-elect got his university degree at the age of 39 in 2005. In his first run for president, Weah’s critics focused on his lack of a college degree as for why he was unfit for office. He didn’t let that hurt his ego, and instead, it motivated him to enroll at Devry University in Florida where he graduated with a degree in Business Management.
* Finally, Weah is the first retired professional footballer to win a presidential seat in a country. Many have tried standing for political positions, but none had dared to contest for the head of state.
Former world footballer of the year, George Weah, has been announced as the winner of Liberia’s presidential run-off beating vice president Joseph Boakai.
* Weah is set to replace incumbent Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who leaves office after serving two terms. Following the feat achieved by the ex-footballer turned politician.
* Reports suggest that the 51-year-old former World Footballer of the Year swept thirteen (13) out of the fifteen (15) counties with his 73-year-old opponent Joseph Boakai getting only two (2) counties.
* Pending his swearing in, Weah will be the 25th President of Liberia with a population of just over 3 million.
* He returned to Liberia in 2003 after the ouster of then-President Charles Taylor.
*In 2005, he ran for Presidency but lost to incumbent Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
* Although he contested the result, the Congress for Democratic Change Candidate (CDC), dropped the case one month later.
* When the country went to the polls in 2011, the former Chelsea man contested, as vice presidential candidate with Winston Tubman. The duo lost after the running-off polls.
* And continuing his political foray, Weah, in December 2014 ran for senator of Montserrado county under the CDC. He defeated his closest opponent, Robert Sirleaf, winning 78 percent of the vote to Sirleaf’s almost 11 percent.
* Weah is called "King Weah" by Liberians.
* After a poor run at the 2002 Afcon, the former AC Milan forward quit the Leone Stars which he had partly sponsored and coached.
* He was named the African, European, and World Player of the Year in 1995 - the only African to have done so.
* Before winning the World Player of The Year, he had in 1989 clinched the African Player of the Year award.
* Clubs he played for in Europe are:
- AS Monaco (1987–92)
- Paris Saint German (1992-1995)
- A.C Milan (1995–2000)
-Manchester City
-Marseille
- Chelsea
* Weah’s love for music led him to a completely different path. He paired up with fellow African musicians to produce a song calling for an end to wars in Africa. In 2014, a popular Ghanaian musician, with Weah on his side, created a song to raise awareness about Ebola disease.
* He was also appointed ambassador by Unicef.
* Weah ‘rags-to-riches’ story goes back to his formative years in the slum of Clara Town of Liberia an area built on a swamp and beset by disease and overcrowding. He is seen as a hero by his supporters as he overcame challenges and rose to stardom.
* Weah’s lack of political experience caused a backlash when he began his run for presidency in 2006. However, he remained positive, and said: “Many critics said that I wouldn’t make it. Many suggested that I would be a failure, but I didn’t listen to them.”
* This will be the first time Liberians will witness a shift of power from one elected leader to another. Whichever way it goes, Weah will be recognized for bringing a breath of fresh air to Liberian politics.
* Weah’s election according to reports, has some controversies as his running mate, Jewel Taylor, is the former wife of the warlord and ex-President Charles Taylor, who is still serving a jail term in the UK for war crimes.
* George was banned from six European matches for breaking the nose of Portuguese defender, Jorge Costa on 20th November, 1996 in the players’ tunnel after Milan drew against Porto in the Champions League.
* 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, and scored further league goals against Wimbledon and Liverpool.
* 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 teammates.
* 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.
* In October 2017, he was spotted in the prominent Nigerian church of Pastor T.B. Joshua alongside Liberian Senator Prince Yormie Johnson. Joshua was allegedly a key influence in Johnson's decision to endorse Weah's candidacy in the 2017 Liberian elections.
* He holds French citizenship and speaks the language fluently.
This is a link to a compilation of goals scored by the legendary president-elect of Liberia...George 'King' Weah...All hail the king of football.
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