George Manneh Weah could dribble, sprint and shoot. He also possessed a good leap to power headers past goalkeepers. But he has scored his best ever goal by winning the Liberian presidential election following
results announced Thursday evening .
Weah is not your ordinary African footballer, who just wanted to play football to escape the harsh reality of poverty and his childhood. He dreamed he could help his country and he initially did through his prowess on the football pitch. But he is about to be handed the keys to the presidential mansion, where he can make all those differences he had always dreamed about.
It is instructive to note that Weah defeated the outgoing Liberia President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, in the first round of balloting in 2005. However, just like in 2017, he did not pole the required 51 per cent of votes in the first round. In the second round in 2015, Johnson-Sirleaf polled 59 per cent of the votes compared to 41 per cent for Weah.
But right now, the 51-year-old has the opportunity to score political goals 14 years after retiring from scoring football goals!
The first African nation to pronounce her freedom -1847 – has become the first African nation to prove that football can mean power – in the right hands.
Here are 10 things you should know about George Weah:
1. After starting his career in his home country of Liberia, Arsene Wenger brought him to Europe where he signed for Monaco in 1988.
2. Weah moved 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.
3. He 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.
4. 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.
5. At international level, he represented Liberia at the African Cup of Nations on two occasions.
6. An idol in Africa, Weah has been heavily involved in politics in his homeland Liberia and ran unsuccessfully for president in the 2005 elections, losing to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the second round of voting.
7. In the 2011 election, he ran for vice president on Winston Tubman’s ticket. Running as a Congress for Democratic Change candidate, Weah was elected to the senate in 2014.
8. As successful as he was at club level, Weah was not able to bring over that success to the Liberia National Team. In total, Weah played 60 games for Liberia over 20 years, scoring 22 goals.
9. Along with all-time greats in the sport such as Alfredo Di Stefano and George Best, Weah is regarded as being among the best football players who never got the chance to play at a World Cup.
10. Upon official announcement, George Weah will be the only retired professional footballer to emerge as the President of a country.
No comments:
Post a Comment