George Weah Jr.

George Weah Jr. (born August 27, 1987) is an American footballer who most recently played as a midfielder for Tours. He is the son of former Ballon d'or winner and President of Liberia, George Weah. Weah Jr. began in the A.C. Milan youth team, but after being released has played for a succession of teams around Europe. He was capped for the United States men's national under-20 soccer team, but has no international caps at senior level.

George Weah Jr.
Personal information
Date of birth (1987-08-27) August 27, 1987
Place of birth Monrovia, Liberia
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
2003–2007 Milan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010 Wohlen 10 (0)
2010 Meisterschwanden 8 (2)
2010–2011 Baden 11 (3)
2011–2012 Wangen 8 (0)
2012 Kaliakra Kavarna 12 (0)
2013 Lausanne Sports II 3 (1)
2015 Paris Saint-Germain B 2 (0)
2016 Tours 4 (0)
Total 58 (6)
National team‡
2004 United States U20 2 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 24, 2016
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of October 24, 2016

Early life

Weah is the son of the former Liberian Ballon D'or winner,[1] and presently Liberian President George Weah[2] and Jamaican-born Clar Weah.[3] Junior was born in Liberia, but was raised in the United States.[1] He was one of three of Weah's children to show an aptitude and interest in association football at a young age. While Junior's sister Tita chose to return to school studies, both Junior and his brother Timothy pursued a professional career.[2]

Club career

Weah began his career in the youth team of A.C. Milan at the age of 14, but was released in 2007 after long series of injuries shortly prior to turning 20.[1][2] In October that year, he joined Slavia Prague on trial,[4][5] but he was not offered a contract by the Czech side. Coach Karel Jarolím explained that the team were looking for a "different type of player" to Weah.[6]

Weah Junior briefly played for CS Romontois in Switzerland, before moving within the country to Wohlen.[7] In 2011, Weah Junior joined FC Baden.[8] On February 3, 2012, Weah Jr joined Kaliakra Kavarna on a one-and-a-half-year deal, after a successful trial with the Bulgarian A PFG club.[9]

On May 17, 2014, Weah made his debut for Paris Saint-Germain's second team in the Championnat de France amateur, coming on as an 87th-minute substitute as his side lost 2–0 to RC Lens II.[10] Junior played two games in total for the PSG amateur side.[1]

International career

Weah holds both American and Liberian citizenship.[1][11] He has also played in a handful of friendlies for the United States men's national under-20 soccer team.[12][13] He was called up by Liberia in June 2015 for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Togo, despite not having played for a club since the previous year.[1] He was named on the bench as Liberia lost 2–1.[14]

References
  1. "George Weah junior gets Liberia call-up for 2017 qualifier". BBC Sport. June 9, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  2. Aminu, Abdulkareem Baba (October 11, 2016). "'Why I'll Become President in 2017'". Daily Trust. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  3. "No Weah, Jamaica!". jamaica-star.com.
  4. Gleeson, Mark (November 13, 2007). "Like father like son in Africa". Reuters. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  5. http://www.extra-football.com/articles/george-weah-junior-slavia-prague.html
  6. "Slavia Praag geeft Weah Jr. geen contract Lees meer op" (in Dutch). voetbalzone.nl. October 19, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  7. Juillard, Patrick (July 22, 2011). "FC Wohlen : Weah Jr embauché" (in French). Football365.fr.
  8. von Beat Hager, Mendriso (March 6, 2011). "FC Baden gewinnt dank Cleverness". Aargauer Zeitung. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  9. "Джордж Уеа подписа с Калиакра" (in Bulgarian). Winner.bg. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  10. "PSG II vs. Lens II 0 - 2". Soccerway. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  11. "Weah Jnr keen on Liberia". July 16, 2004 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  12. http://www.liberiansoccer.com/George%20Weah%20Jr.%20Scores%20Equalizer%20for%20USA%20U20s%20against%20Columbus%20Crew.htm
  13. "US call up Weah Jnr". March 1, 2004 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  14. "Togo 2-1 Liberia". CAF Online. June 14, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2016.

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