In 1995, a Liberian striker who had grown up in a Monrovia slum won the Ballon d’Or, the award for Europe’s best footballer. More than two decades later, he was sworn in as president of his country.
George Manneh Oppong Weah was born in 1966 and raised by his grandmother in Clara Town, a poor district of Monrovia. He played for local clubs before moving to Cameroon, where he was spotted by Arsène Wenger, then coach of Monaco.
Europe
Weah joined Monaco in 1988 under Wenger, whom he has called a father figure. He moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 1992 and helped them win the French league, then to AC Milan in 1995, where he won two Serie A titles.
His style combined pace, strength and skill. His solo goal against Verona in 1996, in which he ran almost the length of the pitch, is one of the most famous goals in Serie A history.
The Ballon d’Or
In 1995, the Ballon d’Or was opened to players of all nationalities at European clubs. Weah won it that year, becoming the first, and so far only, African winner. He was also named FIFA World Player of the Year and African Footballer of the Year.
Liberia
Weah never played at a World Cup. Liberia, torn by civil war, could not qualify, and Weah often paid for the national team’s travel and kit himself.
Politics
After retiring, Weah entered politics. He ran for president in 2005 and lost to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female head of state. He studied, became a senator and ran again. In 2017, he won the presidential election and took office in January 2018, in Liberia’s first peaceful transfer of power between elected leaders since 1944.
His presidency faced criticism over the economy and corruption. In 2023, he lost his bid for re-election to Joseph Boakai and conceded defeat, a move praised across Africa.
Family
His son Timothy Weah became a professional footballer and plays for the United States national team, scoring at the 2022 World Cup, the tournament his father never reached.
Legacy
Weah’s Ballon d’Or remains a landmark for African football. His political career showed both the power and the limits of sporting fame in politics.
He grew up with almost nothing in Clara Town. He won Europe’s biggest individual prize and then the presidency. Then he did something many leaders do not: he accepted defeat and went home.
