George Weah: Football Legend to President of Liberia

George Weah grew up with his grandmother in Clara Town, one of Liberia’s most underdeveloped areas. It was his talent and determination which gave him a route out of Clara Town. George Weah’s life changed when he was 21 years old, when he caught the attention of Arsene Wenger while playing for a team in Cameroon. Wenger brought him over to Europe, where he would play for AS Monaco. From there, it was on to Paris Saint Germain, AC Milan, Chelsea, Manchester City and Olympique Marseille. Throughout his football career, Weah received multiple accolades including both Fifa World Player of the Year and the Ballon d’Or in 1995.

Even after all these achievements, Weah was still a man of the people who gave back to his community. He often paid out of his own pocket for the cash-strapped national football team to travel to matches abroad. His acts didn’t go unrecognized. ‘’The heart George has for Liberia is unbelievable,” former teammate Thomas Kojo told Reuters. “He made sure the national team was always trying to bring home some pride.’’ From Weah’s interest in philanthropy, he became a Unicef ambassador, and started political networking before he retired from football.

In 2005, George Weah decided to join the race for presidency. Although people liked the retired football player, critics were harsh because of his political inexperience. Unfortunately for Weah, he lost this election. However, this loss didn’t stop him. In 2016 Weah ran again and this time he succeeded. He inspired the crowds with talk of economic empowerment for the masses, drawing on his own, poverty-stricken background, and dismissing his opponents’ claims that, at 51, he remained too politically inexperienced to lead.

‘’Many critics said that I wouldn’t make it. Many suggested that I would be a failure, but I didn’t listen to them. I kept pushing and defying all odds until I succeeded as one of the greatest football legend the world has ever produced. Today, those that said I was going to be a failure are now calling me ‘Chief’.’’