George Weah

====Early career in Liberia, Cameroon, Monaco and France====
Weah began to play football for Young Survivors, a club based in Clara Town, in 1981 at the age of 15.<ref name="Chimurenga">{{cite news |url=https://chimurengachronic.co.za/a-secret-history-of-mr-george-weah/ |title=A Secret History of Mr. George Weah |first=Kangsen |last=Wakai |website=Chimurenga |date=23 January 2018 |access-date=5 November 2023}}</ref> [[Jason Burke]], writing for ''[[The Observer]]'', described how Weah scored "two spectacular goals" on his debut, "one hit from such a tight angle that it went in-off having struck both posts".<ref name="GuardianBurke">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/aug/06/newsstory.sport15 |title=In the court of King George |first=Jason |last=Burke |newspaper=The Observer |location=London |date=6 August 2000 |access-date=5 November 2023}}</ref> In his three years with Young Survivors, the club earned two [[Promotion (sports)|promotions]], from the fourth level of football in Liberia to the second.<ref name="GuardianBurke"/> He signed for [[Liberian Premier League]] club Bong Range United in 1984, where he played for one season, before joining [[Mighty Barrolle]], one of the biggest clubs in Liberia.<ref name="Chimurenga"/> Weah was not a regular starter for Mighty Barrolle despite scoring regularly, which prompted a move to their rivals, [[Invincible Eleven]], in 1986.<ref name="Chimurenga"/> He helped the club win the [[1987 Liberian Premier League]] title,<ref name="1987League">{{cite news |url=https://www.theindependent.com.lr/2023/03/28/us100000-bonus-for-lone-star-if/ |title=US$100,000 Bonus For Lone Star, If... |first=Varney |last=Dukuly |website=The Independent |date=28 March 2023 |access-date=5 November 2023}}</ref> was the league's top scorer, and was named as the league's player of the season.<ref name="DW">{{cite news |url=https://www.dw.com/en/remembering-george-weahs-early-football-days/a-42201293 |title=Remembering George Weah's early football days |first=Moki |last=Kindzeka |publisher=Deutsche Welle |date=20 January 2018 |access-date=5 November 2023}}</ref> Before his football career allowed him to move abroad, Weah worked for the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation as a [[switchboard operator]].<ref name="Mba"/> He signed for [[Cameroonian Premier League]] club [[Tonnerre Yaoundé]] in 1987 after impressing during a match against them, and scored twice on his debut against [[Canon Yaoundé]].<ref name="DW"/>

Weah's abilities were noticed by the [[Cameroon national football team|Cameroon national team]] manager, [[Claude Le Roy]], who recommended him to [[Arsène Wenger]], the manager of French [[Division 1 (French football)|Division 1]] club [[AS Monaco FC|Monaco]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-45257301 |title=Arsène Wenger to get honour from Liberia's George Weah |website=BBC News |date=21 August 2018 |access-date=5 November 2023}}</ref> Weah signed for Monaco 1988 for a [[transfer fee]] of £12,000,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/1434214.stm |title=George Weah in focus |website=BBC Sport |date=25 July 2001 |access-date=5 November 2023}}</ref><ref name="Lawrence"/> after Wenger had flown to Africa prior to the signing to see him play.<ref name="KN">{{cite book |first=Kenneth |last=Nkemnacho |title=Be An Icon: Discover how ordinary people became extraordinary |date=2016 |publisher=eBook Versions |isbn=978-1-8439-6385-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DhkvDwAAQBAJ&q=george+weah+born+1958&pg=PT15}}</ref> Weah has credited Wenger as an important influence on his career.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/2000/01/22/sfnwin22.html |title=On The Spot: George Weah |work=The Daily Telegraph | access-date=9 December 2006 |location=London | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014032208/http://telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=%2Farchive%2F2000%2F01%2F22%2Fsfnwin22.html | archive-date=14 October 2007 | url-status=dead }}</ref> During his time with Monaco, Weah was named the [[African Footballer of the Year]] for the first time in 1989.<ref name="FIFA"/> This was his first major award and he took it back home for the entire country to celebrate.<ref name="FIFA"/> Weah won the [[1990–91 Coupe de France]], playing in the [[1991 Coupe de France final|final]] on 8 June in which Monaco beat [[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]] 1–0 at the [[Parc des Princes]].<ref name="1991CoupeDeFranceFinal">{{cite web |url=https://www.asmonaco.com/histoire/palmares1/1991-coupe-de-france/ |title=Coupe de France 1991: La revanche contre l'OM |trans-title=Coupe de France 1991: Revenge against OM |publisher=AS Monaco FC |date=25 November 2019 |access-date=5 November 2023 |language=fr}}</ref> He helped Monaco reach the final of the [[1991–92 European Cup Winners' Cup]], scoring four goals in nine cup appearances.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

[[File:Coppa UEFA 1992-93 - Napoli vs PSG - George Weah.jpg|thumb|175px|left|Weah's celebrating his goal during the match between [[Paris Saint-Germain F.C.|PSG]] and [[S.S.C. Napoli|Napoli]] in the second round of [[1992–93 UEFA Cup]]]]

Weah subsequently played for [[Paris Saint-Germain F.C.|Paris Saint-Germain]] (1992–1995), with whom he won the [[Coupe de France]] in [[1992–93 Coupe de France|1993]] and [[1994–95 Coupe de France|1995]], Division 1 in [[1993–94 French Division 1|1994]], and the [[1994–95 Coupe de la Ligue|Coupe de la Ligue in 1995]] during a highly prolific and successful period; he also became the top scorer of the [[1994–95 UEFA Champions League]], with seven goals, after reaching the semi-finals with the club, one of which was a skilful individual "wonder-goal" against [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]] in the group stage, on 23 November 1994.<ref name="FIFA"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uefa.com/60-years/videoid=2114867.html |title=UEFA 60 Great goals: Weah |publisher=UEFA|access-date=15 December 2014}}</ref> During his time at the club, he also managed to reach the semi-finals of the [[1992–93 UEFA Cup]], and the semi-finals of the [[1993–94 European Cup Winners' Cup]]; in total, he scored 16 goals in 25 European games.<ref name="FIFA"/> In 1994, he won the African Footballer of the Year Award for the second time in his career.<ref name="FIFA"/>