George Weah

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

After beginning his career in his native Liberia, Weah spent 14 years playing for clubs in France, Italy, and England. Arsène Wenger brought him to Europe, signing him for Monaco in 1988. Weah moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 1992 where they won Division 1 in 1994 and he became the top scorer of the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League. He signed for AC Milan in 1995 where he spent four successful seasons, winning the Serie A twice. Later in his career, he joined the Premier League having spells at Chelsea and Manchester City, winning the FA Cup with Chelsea, before returning to France to play for Marseille in 2001. He ended his career with Al Jazira in 2003. FourFourTwo named Weah one of the best players never to win the UEFA Champions League.

In Their Own Story

On 23 November 1994, in a group stage match against Bayern Munich, George Weah produced a moment of individual brilliance that defined his PSG career. Receiving the ball, he orchestrated a 'wonder-goal' that showcased his acceleration and dribbling ability, leaving defenders helpless before finding the net. This goal was pivotal as it propelled PSG toward the semi-finals of the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League, where Weah finished as the competition's top scorer with seven goals in total. His consistency across Europe saw him score 16 goals in just 25 European games for the club. These performances culminated in a historic year for Weah: winning the Ballon d'Or and being named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1995, while still wearing the PSG jersey before his move to AC Milan later that year.

Reader's Guide

Weah represented Liberia at the international level, winning 75 caps, scoring 18 goals for his country, and playing at the African Cup of Nations on two occasions. He also played in a friendly in 2018, where his number 14 jersey was retired. Regarded as one of the best players never to have played at the FIFA World Cup, Scott Murray in The Guardian refers to Weah as 'hamstrung by hailing from a global minnow'. Widely regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time, Weah was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or in 1995, becoming the first and only player to win these awards while representing an African country internationally. In 1989 and 1995, he was also named the African Footballer of the Year winning the official award twice, and in 1996, he was named African Player of the Century. Known for his acceleration, speed, and dribbling ability, in addition to his goal-scoring, Weah was described by FIFA as 'the precursor of the multi-functional strikers of today'. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.

Did You Know?

• Weah won the Coupe de France with PSG in 1993 and 1995, and Division 1 in 1994.
• Weah's solo goal against Hellas Verona for AC Milan is considered one of the greatest goals in Serie A history.
• Weah was named African Player of the Century in 1996.
• He worked as a switchboard operator for the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation before his football career took off.