Main position : Lille's Timothy Weah on the rise - Now the most valuable US center-forward. As a football (soccer) player, George Weah was named African, European, and World Player of the Year in 1995—an unprecedented achievement. During his football career, he played as a striker. After the electoral commission concluded its investigation and dismissed the LP’s allegations, on December 7 the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal filed by the UP and LP and ordered the runoff election to be held. George Weah grew up in a poor neighborhood in Monrovia, but now the once destitute son of a Liberian is the president of the country, can he deliver politically as much as he did in… Corrections? Following the ouster of Pres. He has served as president of Liberia since January 2018. Transfer history . Liberia, wracked by poverty and civil war in the 1990s, was able to sustain the Lone Star—the national team—only with the assistance of Weah, who played for, coached, and to a large extent financed the team. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Born October 1, 1966, Weah started his footballing career in Liberia. In 2011, Weah graduated from the Faculty of … Weah spent fourteen years of his professional football career playing for clubs in France, Italy, and England. George Weah is the uncle of Patrick Weah (Minnesota United FC). In January 2000 AC Milan loaned him to Chelsea of London, where he made an important contribution to that team’s Football Association Cup triumph. George Weah was a professional football (soccer) player until he retired from the sport in 2002. The BBC African football website put your questions to the legendary George Weah. Soon thereafter, the two sides reached an agreement, and Wenger brought Weah to Mo… Two years later, in an effort to consolidate opposition strength in preparation for the 2017 elections, Weah’s CDC merged with two other parties to form the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). George Weah, in full George Oppong Weah, (born October 1, 1966, Monrovia, Liberia), Liberian football (soccer) player and politician. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Weah. '''George Manneh Oppong Weah''' (; born 1 October 1966) is a Liberian politician and former professional footballer who is currently serving as the 25th President of Liberia, in office since 2018. Centre-Forward, Former International: After helping his side to their second successive Cameroon Premiere Division title his goal scoring exploits saw him move to Europe, after just a season in the Cameroonian capital. The election was indefinitely postponed, however, after the Supreme Court ruled on November 6 that the electoral commission could not hold the poll until the commission had finished investigating allegations of fraud and incompetence filed by the third-place winner, Charles Brumskine, and his Liberty Party (LP). 12 clubs, 478 matches and 193 goals later, George Weah is a name still fondly remembered. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Young Survivors Claratown (1981-1984), Bong Range United (1984-1985), Mighty Barrolle (1985-1986), Invincible Eleven (1986-1987). Players like George Weah simply didn’t come to England, until the money and confidence started rolling in. In December 2014 Weah ran for the position of senator of Montserrado county under the banner of the CDC. Shortly thereafter, the promising 22-year-old striker was signed by AS Monaco of the French first division. In 2005 he ran for president of the country as a member of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party. Club career. George Weah is number 43 in 90min's Top 50 Greatest Footballers of All Time series. He signed for A.C. Milan in 1995 where he spent four very … He was named African, European, and World Player of the Year in 1995—an unprecedented achievement. He is the son of former Ballon d'or winner and president of Liberia George Weah. Weah learned his football on the dusty streets of Monrovia before playing for Invincible Eleven, Mighty Barolle, Bongrange Bonguine, and Young Survivors of Claretown. Ex-AC Milan striker won 61 percent of votes to defeat ruling party candidate and Liberian Vice President Joseph Boakai. Born in Monrovia, Liberia on 1 October 1966, George Manneh Oppong Weah began his football career with local clubs Young Survivors Claratown and Bong Range United. Johnson Sirleaf and Tubman emerged with the most votes, but—as neither garnered a majority—a runoff election was held on November 8. Omissions? His exceptional dribbling and shooting skills made him a crowd favourite, and his uncompromising work ethic and technical ability landed Weah a lucrative contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Prior to his election to the presidency, Weah served as Senator from Montserrado County. Former footballer of the year George Weah has been sworn into office as Liberia's new president. 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. Weah was elected to a Senate seat in 2014. The key player of AC Milan's 1996 title-winning side. In 2002, after the Lone Star nearly qualified for the World Cup and then performed poorly at the African Cup of Nations, Weah retired from football. Weah has just signed for Al Jazira in the United Arab Emirates, in what is probably the final move of a glittering career. At PSG he played with Ginola, his favourite strike partner. We look back on his time at Chelsea, for whom he signed 20 years ago this week… English football was slowly getting used to the idea of bona fide, established international superstars coming to these shores back in 2000. Born and raised in Monrovia, Liberia, George played football for local Liberian leagues and in 1988 he embarked into the French football scene with a place in the club Monaco. In 1989, 1994 and 1995, he was named the African Footballer of the Year, and in 1996, he was named African Player of the Century. But not even he could keep Liberia in SA '96. He was inaugurated on January 22, 2018, which marked the first transfer of power between two democratically elected leaders in Liberia since 1944. George Weah … By then, Weah could already look back at a successful football career in his native Liberia. During his athletic career, Weah scored more goals and played in more matches than any other African professional in Europe. Aly Dia (born 20 August 1965), commonly known as Ali Dia, is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a striker.In November 1996, Dia convinced Graeme Souness, then Southampton manager, that he was the cousin of FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or winner George Weah, which led to him signing a one-month contract with Southampton days later. After leading Young Survivors, a team without a coach, into the first division, Weah signed a three-year semiprofessional contract with top Cameroonian club Tonnerre of Yaoundé, which won its league in his first season (1987) with the team. He later played with Al-Jazira in the UAE Arabian Gulf League, where he remained until his retirement as a player in 2003, at age 37. EX-CHELSEA and Manchester City star George Weah has become President of Liberia. Weah was the CDC’s candidate in the October 2017 presidential election, with Jewel Howard Taylor, senator for Bong county and former wife of the ousted president Taylor, as his running mate. George Weah turns 50: A look back at career of one of most iconic footballers of 1990s Former AC Milan and Chelsea striker was first African Ballon … Subsequently he transferred to AC Milan (1995–2000) in Italy’s Serie A, helping the club win the 1996 and 1999 league titles. In his five seasons with Monaco (1987–92), he scored 57 goals, and the team won the French Cup in 1991. The striker quickly made a name for himself through the mid-to-late 1980s at Mighty Barolle, Invincible Eleven, Africa Sports (Ivory Coast) and Tonnerre Yaounde (Cameroon) before he was recommended to … Weah initially challenged the election results in court, but he dropped his case the following month. George Weah: From football star to Liberia president. Liberia president and former world footballer of the year George Weah made a surprise return to international football Tuesday at the age of 51 in a 2-1 friendly defeat by … View the player profile of Forward George Weah, including statistics and photos, on the official website of the Premier League. Many of you sent emails to the man who is possibly the greatest player the continent has produced. And at the end, it was his dream that won the battle against such barriers and he reached the very top of world football at his time and never looked down since then to date. At Monaco Weah met Glenn Hoddle, his biggest influence . At the end of his career, he played briefly with Manchester City and Marseille in France. George Weah is the uncle of Kyle Duncan (New York Red Bulls). Fair, said his allegations were unsubstantiated striker for some, European, and Weah won an victory! 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