From footballer to head of state: an extraordinary journey

From playing football on the streets of Monrovia to President of Liberia, the life of George Weah is one incredible journey. Here are five things you need to know about him from Radio 4's Profile.

George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah was born in Clara Town, a slum built on a swamp in the Liberian capital Monrovia. He took up football from a young age and used to travel between different communities, playing in harsh conditions, sometimes even on sand. He practised every day and turned up on time; this early demonstration of self-discipline suggested that he was keen to succeed. His flexible skills as either a goalkeeper or a striker allowed to him to fit in to a wider array of teams easily: and the small amounts of money he earned enabled him to survive. At the age of 20, he joined the Monrovian team, the Invincible Eleven.

After being talent-spotted by Arsène Wenger, who flew out Liberia especially to see him, Weah moved to AS Monaco FC where he played under Wenger from 1988-1992.

Super-rich Monaco: Weah's unlikely springboard to international success

Quickly becoming a local celebrity, Weah found people wanting to meet him on the street – the Principality's super-rich society was unlike anything Weah had seen. But this springboard to Europe led him on to play for major world teams including Paris St. Germain, AC Milan, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Earlier this year, Wenger revealed that Weah had invited him to his inauguration, he said, "I believe I will be busy but if I am suspended (for his comments on referees) I will have time to go."

3. He’s a multi-award winning footballer

Throughout his footballing career, Weah won a number of awards. He was African Player of the Year in 1989, 1994 and 1995. In 1995, while playing for AC Milan, he was voted best player in the world. He became the first, and currently only, African player to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or in the same year.

However, the next award he received was mired in controversy: he was the recipient of the 1996 FIFA Fair Play Award, in spite of an incident in which he head-butted the Porto defender Jorge Costa over an alleged racist insult, for which he received a six-match European ban.

4. He funded the national team during Liberia's civil war

In the midst of the Liberian civil war, Weah was the captain of the Liberian national team – the Lone Stars – as well as playing at AC Milan. Weah poured two million dollars of his own money to fund the Lone Stars during this period of instability. He was their sole sponsor and paid to provide his teammates with supplies and transport just to get them to training safely.

After his retirement from football in 2003, Weah’s focus turned to politics. He stood for election in 2005, but lost to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Johnson Sirleaf was a Harvard University alumna and Weah felt his lack of education had held him back. He went back to school to gain a high school diploma and then a university degree.

In 2017, he ran for President again on a slogan of "Change for Hope" and his victory was announced on Boxing Day. He was sworn in on 22 January 2018, taking a pay cut and vowing to fight corruption and reform the economy.

You can listen to Profile: George Weah on BBC iPlayer Radio or download the programme as a podcast.