Friday 29 December 2017

WEAH: From the penalty spot to the Presidential villa





With  Alan shearer, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Harry Kanes of this world pulling down  set records and setting new ones, one may be tempted to think that there are no more records left and nothing new to prove.  But that of course  is fallacy which explains why the record set by George Weah as Liberia’s president elect few hours ago tickled the fancy of many.
His indeed can be dubbed consolidation haven also joined the league of history makers and record breakers when he emerged first ever world footballer of the year to be elected President. When he emerge footballer of the year in 1995 it was also history making as it would be the first time an African would be doing so and as a matter of fact the only one till date.

Perhaps when he flagged off his football career with a youth side Young Survivors Claratown in 1981, he had the dream of growing into one of the respected strikers in the world and as he graduated from junior to senior category and finally hitting it big with all the big clubs that shaped his career, Monaco, Paris Saint Germain to AC Milan where he was not only a major hit but proved to be a force to be reckoned with, it was apparent that doggedness and determination were some of his major attributes.



That fighting spirit which saw him battle for and earn mouth watering laurels in the round leather game he retained when he eventually retired in 2003 and ventured into politics.

This never-say-die attitude came handy when he announced for the first time in 2005 that he wanted to contest for the post of president and went ahead to form Congress of Democratic Change to back his ambition.

Expectedly he was seen as a green horn venturing into an unknown area; in fact those who did not think he was good enough to run for the office cited his lack of formal education in contrast with his Harvard-educated opponent, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Analysts also noted Weah’s lack of experience, calling him a “babe-in-the-woods”

But the unique thing here is, rather than chose to fight those who scored him low, he rather took note of those perceived inadequacies and worked on them assiduously. He ignored side talks to obtain his SSCE in 2006 at 40, proceeded to obtain a degree in 2011 at 45, added his Masters in 2013.  With these armed coupled with his humanitarian gestures he rose up again contested and won a senate seat in 2014, defeating the son of incumbent president, Robert Sirleaf, and three years later in 2017 he realised the dream emerging the President elect who will be officially handed the mantle of leadership in the new year.

For those wondering how he will translate the dribbles, pacy runs and flips on the pitch into political and economic realities, returning to the class room to equip himself academically coupled with the experience he has garnered in the senate in the last three years is an indication that he is not only ready to learn but also ready to bring in the tenacity that served as ginger while he played for 15 different clubs he had to lace boots for. It won’t be a surprise if a great footballer begets a great footballer, and indicators to this fact can be seen in the exploits of his son Timothy Weah who signed for Paris Saint-Germain in 2015 and plays for the United States youth team.



It was not just about club exploits for Weah, he also attempted to re-position Lone stars of Liberia not only as a player and a coach of the side but also committed his resources on two occasions to held the national team qualify for the African Cup of Nations in 1996 and 2002.As a player for the national team he made 60 appearances and scored 22 goals.  His emergence as president of Liberia is sure to rub off on the national team that is likely to have a fresh look in with a view to making them competitive again. His goodwill earned in the course of playing across the globe is sure to bring good tidings to the former war-torn enclave.

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