George Weah, the most legendary player in African football, won the Ballon d'Or as a player and became World Footballer of the Year. After retiring from the military, George Weah began his political career, and in December 2017, he was successfully elected President of Liberia, becoming the first "king of the ball" president.
Unfortunately, for the rest of his career, George Weah was not able to stand on the World Cup stage. On 22 November, his son Timothy Weah fulfilled his father's long-cherished wish to start the 22-year-old Weah Jr. against Wales and scored with the help of Pulisic.
"I think it means a lot to him [the father] to see his son follow in his footsteps and get to the World Cup. If I had a son or daughter, I would also be very happy to see that they were going to the World Cup. "Since childhood, Timothy Weah has been proud to have such a legendary father, and he is trying to continue the family glory with his own efforts.
Timothy Weah celebrates the goal. Photo/IC photo
Without the help of his father's halo, Ligue 1 gained a foothold
Timothy Weah was born in the United States on February 22, 2000, when his father was nearing the end of his playing career. As a child, Little Weah did not have a clear concept of his father's status in world football, he had an older brother who was older than him, who had already started his football career, and with his father's subtle influence, Timothy Weah had the goal of becoming a professional player from an early age.
Little Weah spent his childhood in New York and Florida, where his mother from Jamaica was his football coach. One advantage of being the son of a football legend is that he can easily meet his idols – for example, Nigerian football legend Okocha, Jr. Weah has always admired Okocha's foot skills; For example, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, Wenger coached George Weah, and the younger Weah had the opportunity to communicate with Wenger face to face.
However, when working hard in professional football, Timothy Weah never wanted to rely on his father's popularity. At the age of 14, he moved to France to join the Paris Saint-Germain youth team, signing his first professional contract with the club at the age of 17 and making his Ligue 1 debut at the age of 18, winning the title with the team.
In the first two seasons of his career, Timothy Weah was not in a good situation, frequently traveling between the first and second teams, and was briefly loaned to the Soviet Premier League side Celtic. It wasn't until he joined Ligue 1 side Lille in 2019 that he established himself in the professional league. In the 2020-2021 season, Timothy Weah made 28 appearances to help the team win the Ligue 1 title and is still a regular in the team today.
Timothy Weah's three Ligue 1 titles seem insignificant compared to his father's goalscoring efficiency and accolades when he was younger. But looking back at his efforts to play and the great progress he has made in recent seasons, he has lived up to his father's expectations and has continued the family glory.
George Weah won the Ballon d'Or in 1995 and became World Footballer of the Year. Photo/IC photo
Father's unfulfilled dream, little Weah replaced it to realize
As a player, George Weah played for Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Chelsea and other clubs, won the Serie A championship, Ligue 1 championship, was elected African Footballer of the Year three times, and won the Ballon d'Or in 1995 and became the World Footballer of the Year. But when playing for the Liberian national team, World Footballer of the Year was powerless.
George Weah tried to cover the expenses of the national team with his personal income, and the team slowly moved from the African second team to the first team. However, in the process of storming the World Cup, the Liberian team has always lacked a kick. Especially in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, George Weah led the team as a player, manager and president of the Football Association, and the team missed the Korea-Japan World Cup by 1 point. Until the end of his career, he was not able to stand on the World Cup stage with legends such as Ronaldo, Figo and Zidane.
The regrets left by his career have not been imposed on the next generation by George Weah. From the moment he came into contact with football, Timothy Weah's every choice was not interfered with much, even with the national team he played for.
Born in the United States and living in France for a long time when he grew up, Timothy Weah has dual citizenship of the United States and France, his father is Liberian, his mother is from Jamaica, and the United States, France, Liberia, Jamaica and other 4 national teams, he actually has the opportunity to join. Since he played in the United States as a child and represented the U.S. Junior Team at the age of 12, he did not hesitate much and naturally joined the U.S. team.
In 2018, Timothy Weah made his debut against Paraguay in the United States, becoming the first post-00 generation to get a chance to play for the U.S. senior team. In the 2022 World Qualifiers, he has grown into an absolute workhorse of the team's forward line, scoring 3 goals in 8 appearances and helping the team return to the World Cup after 8 years.
Timothy Weah is the most active player on this American team, playing cheerful music in the locker room and being seen by his teammates as the team's DJ. Teammate Yedrin revealed that although his father is a former world footballer of the year and the current president of Liberia, Timothy Weah has not been affected, "He has his own unique personality, he is conscientious on and off the court, and he always brings joy to everyone." ”
Timothy Weah scored a goal against Wales. Photo/IC photo
Timothy Weah doesn't think of his father highly, he said, he is actually an ordinary person, "We usually contact through chat software, call or send messages." When he is busy, he may not be able to reply in time, and I am the same, and I will reply to him very late when I am busy. In my opinion, my father was an ordinary person, and after work, he would play basketball or football. ”
"To be able to participate in the World Cup, this is my father's dream and my dream." When the World Cup in Qatar ended, Timothy Weah traditionally went to Liberia every December to reunite with his parents, who encouraged him to bring friends, such as Team USA teammates, and Little Weah readily agreed.
Beijing News reporter Xu Bangyin
Edited by Wu Zhengyang
Proofreading by Wang Xin