| George Weah | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Tawlon Oppong Ousman Weah | |
| Date of birth | October 1, 1966 | |
| Place of birth | Monrovia, Liberia | |
| Height | 1. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. For alternate meanings see Monrovia (disambiguation. Monrovia, is the Capital city of the West African nation of Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire 84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in) | |
| Playing position | Forward | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1981–1984 1984–1985 1985–1986 1986–1987 1987–1988 1988–1992 1992–1995 1995–2000 2000 2000 2000–2001 2001–2003 |
Young Survivors Bongrange Company Mighty Barolle Invincible Eleven Tonnerre Yaoundé AS Monaco Paris Saint-Germain A.C. Milan Chelsea Manchester City Olympique Marseille Al-Jazira |
0 (0) 2 (1) 10 (7) 23 (24) 18 (15) 115 (55) 152 (53) 147 (58) 11 (4) 7 (1) 19 (5) ? (13) |
| National team | ||
| 1988–2002 | Liberia | 60 (22) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
George Weah (born October 1, 1966 in Monrovia[1]) is a Liberian politician and former football forward. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. For alternate meanings see Monrovia (disambiguation. Monrovia, is the Capital city of the West African nation of Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing He spent 14 years of his professional football career playing for clubs in France, Italy, and England, winning titles in two of the three countries. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland In 1995, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year, European Footballer of the Year, and African Footballer of the Year. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The FIFA World Player of the Year is an Association football award given annually to the male and female player who are thought to be the best in the world based The "fr '''Ballon d'Or'''" ( French for " Golden Ball " often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award is an association football The African Footballer of the Year award presented to the best African Football (soccer player each year has been conferred by the Confederation of African Weah has since become a humanitarian and politician in Liberia, and ran unsuccessfully in the 2005 Liberian presidential election, losing to Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in the second round of voting. Liberian elections in 2005 marked the end of the political transition following Liberia 's second civil war. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born October 29 1938 is the current President of Liberia.
Contents |
Personal life
George Weah was born and raised in the Clara Town slum of Monrovia. A slum, as defined by the United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security For alternate meanings see Monrovia (disambiguation. Monrovia, is the Capital city of the West African nation of Liberia He is a member of the Kru ethnic group, which hails from south-eastern Liberia's Grand Kru County, one of the poorest areas of the country. The Kru are an ethnic group who live in interior of Liberia. Their history is one marked by a strong sense of ethnicity and resistance to occupation His parents were William T. Weah, Sr. and Anna Quayeweah. He was raised largely by his paternal grandmother, Emma Klonjlaleh Brown. He attended middle school at Muslim Congress and high school at Wells Hairston High School. Before his football career allowed him to move abroad, Weah worked for the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation as a switchboard technician. Medium-to-large organizations often employ switchboard operators &mdashspecialised staff who answer general Telephone calls to the organization and usually maintain
George Weah converted from Christianity to Islam but later reverted back after having spent ten years as a Muslim. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. [2]
He is married to Clar Weah, a Jamaican that resides in America, and is the father of four children: George Jr. , Martha, Timothy George, and Jessica, who was adopted from Jamaica. Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. [1] His son, George Weah Jr. once played for the US U-20 team, with his close friend Freddy Adu [3]. The United States U-20 men's national soccer team is the national under-20 football team of the United States of America and is controlled by the United Fredua Koranteng "Freddy" Adu (born June 2 1989 in Tema, Ghana) is an American Association football forward or Attacking Weah Jr. played for the AC Milan Primavera team in the 2005-06 season. Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy Campionato Nazionale Primavera - Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti (or simply Campionato Primavera) is an Italian football competition played by youth He was given a trial at Slavia Prague, but the club decided not to sign him. [4]
Football Career
At the pinnacle of success, Weah moved to Europe in 1988 when he was signed by Arsène Wenger,[5] then manager of Monaco, who Weah credits as an important influence on his career. Arsène Wenger OBE (born October 22, 1949 in Strasbourg) is a French football manager, in charge of Arsenal The Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club is a Monegasque football club founded in 1919 [6] At Monaco, Weah was a member of the team that won the French Cup in 1991. In the 1990s Weah subsequently played for Paris Saint Germain (1992 - 95), with whom he won the French league in 1994; and AC Milan (1995 - 1999), with whom he won the Italian league in 1996 and 1999. Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, or PSG, is a French football club based in Paris. Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy In 1995 he was named European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year. The "fr '''Ballon d'Or'''" ( French for " Golden Ball " often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award is an association football The FIFA World Player of the Year is an Association football award given annually to the male and female player who are thought to be the best in the world based After leaving Milan in January 2000 Weah moved to Chelsea, Manchester City and Olympique Marseille in quick succession, before leaving Marseille in May 2001 for Al Jazira FC, in the United Arab Emirates. TalkManchester City FC before changing verbs to singular --> Manchester City Football Club is an English professional football club Olympique de Marseille (also known as l'OM or Marseille) is a football team that plays in Ligue 1, the top level of the French Football Al Jazira Club (also spelled Al Jazeera Club, Arabic: نادي الجزيرة is a sporting club in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
As successful as he was at club level, Weah was not able to bring over that success to the Liberian national team. The Liberia national football team, nicknamed the Lone Stars, is the national team of Liberia and is controlled by the Liberia Football Association He has done everything with the squad from playing to coaching to financing it, but failed to qualify for a single World Cup, falling just a point short in qualifying for the 2002 tournament. The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football Listed below are the dates and results for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the African zone ( CAF). The 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 17th staging of the World Cup, was held in South Korea and Japan from May 31 to June 30. This has all led to Weah being known as one of the best footballers never to have played in a World Cup.
World Best Player 1995
Weah was named world best for 1995, becoming the only African player to win the award. He was the fifth recipient of the award. The Silver trophy was won by Paolo Maldini, and the Bronze by Jürgen Klinsmann. The other four recipients were: Lothar Matthaus '91, Marco Van Basten '92, Roberto Baggio '93, and Romario in '94. Lothar Herbert Matthäus (born March 21, 1961) is a German former football player and now manager currently managing Israeli club Marcel "Marco" van Basten ( 31 October 1964 in Oog in Al, Utrecht) is a Dutch football manager currently Roberto Baggio (born 18 February 1967 in Caldogno, Veneto) is a retired Italian footballer among the most technically gifted Romário de Souza Faria (born January 29 1966 in Rio de Janeiro) better known simply as Romário, is a former Brazilian football Center Weah also won the silver trophy the following year which was won by Brazilian striker Ronaldo. Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima (xo'nawdʊ lu'iz na'zaɾjʊ dʒɪ 'limɐ born September 18, 1976. Alan Shearer was awarded the Bronze. Alan Shearer, OBE (born 13 August 1970 is an English retired footballer who played as a Striker in the English Premier League for
African Player of the Year 1989,1994, & 1995
Weah won the African player of the year in 1989 when he was with AS Monaco and 1995 with AC Milan, the year he won almost every award a footballer could win. When he won the award in 1989, it was his first major award and he took it back home for the entire country to celebrate, similar to what he did when he won the world best title and the Onze Mondial title
European Player of the Year 1995
Weah won the European Player of the Year in 1995, becoming the only African to win the award. Sports writers from all over Europe voted and awarded Weah as the best player in Europe for the year.
Onze Mondial 1995
- The French Magazine name Weah as the top player in Europe for 1995
- Fifa Fair Play Award 1996
African Player of the Century
Weah was voted the African player of the Century by sport journalist from all around the world. This award puts Weah in the company of some of the greatest player to ever played the game. Pele won the same award as the South American player of the Century and Johan Cruijff as the European player of the century.
Humanitarianism
Weah is a devoted humanitarian for his war-torn country. Humanitarianism is an active belief in Humanism (the idea of the value of human life whereby Humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans At the 2004 ESPY Awards, he won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award for his efforts. The ESPY Awards is an annual Sports awards event created and broadcast by American Cable television network ESPN. The Arthur Ashe Courage Award (sometimes called the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage or Arthur Ashe for Courage Award) is an award that is part of the [7] Weah was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004. The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé 's choice of the "greatest living footballers" He has also been named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, a role which he has suspended while he pursues a political career. This is a list of UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors, who work on behalf of the United Nations Children's Fund.
Football and children
Weah has tried to use football as a way to bring happiness and promote education for children in Liberia. Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire In 1998, Weah launched a CD called Lively Up Africa featuring the singer Frisbie Omo Isibor and eight other African football stars. The proceeds from this CD went to children's programmes in the countries of origin of the athletes involved.
Weah is President of the Junior Professionals, a football team he founded in Monrovia in 1994. For alternate meanings see Monrovia (disambiguation. Monrovia, is the Capital city of the West African nation of Liberia As a way to encourage young people to remain in school, the club's only requirement for membership is school attendance. Many of the young people, recruited from all over Liberia, have gone on to play for the Liberian national team. Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire
In 1998 a documentary about Weah's footballing career at AC Milan was made broadcast on The A - Force BBC-TV, it was made by Pogus Caesar a British award winning producer and director. Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy Pogus Caesar is a British artist television producer and director
Political career
Although he had denied interest in politics during his football career, in mid-November 2004, Weah announced his intention to stand in the October 2005 presidential election, having previously been the subject of a petition urging him to run; he received a hero's welcome upon his arrival in Monrovia in late November and was widely considered a favorite in the election. Liberian elections in 2005 marked the end of the political transition following Liberia 's second civil war. For alternate meanings see Monrovia (disambiguation. Monrovia, is the Capital city of the West African nation of Liberia His eligibility was initially questioned due to debates over his citizenship (Weah having allegedly adopted French citizenship whilst at PSG; he has also lived in Staten Island, New York for many years now) but he was officially confirmed on 13 August 2005 as the candidate for the Congress for Democratic Change when the election commission published its final list. Staten Island (ˌstætənˈaɪlənd is a borough of New York City situated primarily on the island of the same name New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Congress for Democratic Change (CDC is a Liberian Political party formed by supporters of George Weah 's 2005 presidential candidacy He won the most votes of any candidate in the first ballot on 11 October, but did not secure the required overall majority. Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed A run-off vote took place on 8 November, pitting Weah against former World Bank employee and finance minister, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who won the vote and is now the first elected female president in Africa. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born October 29 1938 is the current President of Liberia. Weah disputed the electoral process, but on 21 December 2005 he dropped his legal challenge. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [3]
Much of Weah's politics are influenced by the recent Second Liberian Civil War. The Second Liberian Civil War began in 1999 when a rebel group backed by the government of neighbouring Guinea, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy Starting in 1999, the conflict came to a conclusion in 2003 when the United States stationed a Marine Expeditionary Unit with 2,300 Marines offshore while Nigeria sent in peacekeepers as part of an Economic Community of West African States force, forcing President Charles Taylor to resign on August 11, 2003, and flee into exile in Nigeria. A Marine Expeditionary Unit ( MEU, pronounced M-YOO formerly called Marine Amphibious Unit ( MAU) is the smallest Marine Air-Ground Task Force Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal The Department of Peacekeeping Operations (or DPKO) is a department of the United Nations which is charged with the planning preparation management and direction The Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen West African countries founded on May 28 Charles McArthur Ghankay Taylor (born January 28, 1948) served as President of Liberia from August 2, 1997 to August 11 Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal As a result, all of the candidates pushed for the politics of peace. During his campaign Weah repeatedly emphasized the need for UN's peace mission in his country, known as UNMIL, to stay at least through the end of what would have been his first presidential term of office. The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL is a peace-keeping force established in September 2003 to monitor a ceasefire agreement in Liberia following the resignation of
Weah's lack of experience and of a prestigious college degree weighed heavily against him during the campaign. Opponents believed that Weah could have been manipulated if elected. One positive aspect of Weah's lack of experience is the fact that he was not involved in Liberia's conflicts. Also, some saw little risk in Weah becoming corrupt, as the football star is already quite wealthy. Political corruption is the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain
Weah had also promised to bring low cost housing, electricity, running water, and better education to the countryside, where he himself lived for some time in the 1970s. He also called for the president's term in office to be reduced to four years from six.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by Kalusha Bwalya |
African Footballer of the Year 1989 |
Succeeded by Roger Milla |
Preceded by Abedi Pele |
African Footballer of the Year 1994 |
Succeeded by — |
Preceded by Emmanuel Amunike |
CAF Award Winner 1995 |
Succeeded by Nwankwo Kanu |
Preceded by Hristo Stoichkov |
European Footballer of the Year 1995 |
Succeeded by Matthias Sammer |
Preceded by Romário |
FIFA World Player of the Year 1995 |
Succeeded by Ronaldo |
References
- ^ a b FIFA Magazine - An idol for African footballers. Kalusha Bwalya (born August 16 1963 in Mufulira) known as simply Kalusha, is a Zambian Footballer and coach. The African Footballer of the Year award presented to the best African Football (soccer player each year has been conferred by the Confederation of African Roger Milla (born Albert Roger Mooh Miller, May 20, 1952) is a Cameroonian former football forward. Abédi Ayew, also known as Abédi "Pelé" (born November 5 1964 is a former Ghana International football player and captain The African Footballer of the Year award presented to the best African Football (soccer player each year has been conferred by the Confederation of African Emmanuel Amuneke (born December 25, 1970 in Eze Obodo) commonly known as Emmanuel Amunike is a former football forward from The African Footballer of the Year award presented to the best African Football (soccer player each year has been conferred by the Confederation of African Nwankwo Kanu (born 1 August 1976 in Owerri, Nigeria) usually known simply as Kanu and nicknamed Papilo, is a professional Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov alternatively spelt Stoitchkov (Христо Стоичков Стоичков (born February 8, 1966, in Plovdiv The "fr '''Ballon d'Or'''" ( French for " Golden Ball " often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award is an association football Matthias Sammer (born September 5 1967 in Dresden) is a retired German football player who is now a coach Romário de Souza Faria (born January 29 1966 in Rio de Janeiro) better known simply as Romário, is a former Brazilian football Center The FIFA World Player of the Year is an Association football award given annually to the male and female player who are thought to be the best in the world based Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima (xo'nawdʊ lu'iz na'zaɾjʊ dʒɪ 'limɐ born September 18, 1976. FIFA. Retrieved on 2006-12-06. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev
- ^ You quizzed George Weah - BBC. com
- ^ [1][2]
- ^ SLAVIA OPT NOT TO SIGN GEORGE WEAH, JR., Czech Football Daily 2007-10-19. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 202 BCE - The Battle of Zama results in the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal. Retrieved on 2007-10-31. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse
- ^ George Weah in focus. bbc. co. uk. Retrieved on December 9, 2006. Events 536 - Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ On The Spot: George Weah. Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on December 9, 2006. Events 536 - Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ Weah selected for Arthur Ashe Courage Award. ESPN.com. ESPNcom is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc Retrieved on 2007-04-25. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar.
External links
- Player profile and statistics - www. liberiansoccer. com
- Criticism of Weah's campaign for presidency
- Biography on UNICEF's homepage
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