George Weah: Without Wenger I wouldn't have made it

Former Monaco and AC Milan striker George Opong Weah who is in final
vote to be Liberia’s president has paid tribute to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger for being there for him during his years as a nobody before his rise to prominence.

Weah who has lived a very fulfilled life, one in which he has achieved a lot having become the only player to win the African, European and world footballer of the year titles in one season – in 1995 – the former Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Milan and Chelsea striker has a very secure place among football’s legends.

Having been brought up in the slums of one of Monrovia’s poorest towns, overcoming obstacles is nothing new to the 51 year old legend who goes into the final runoff ballot on 26 December against Joseph Boakai, the current vice-president, after the supreme court threw out a complaint by Weah’s opponents, who alleged the voting process in the opening round of the poll had been tainted by fraud.

Wenger was Weah’s coach at Monaco and the former Chelsea striker says besides Gd, he would not have been who is today without the Frenchamn
.

"When I started playing football, I never thought I would ever win the Ballon d’Or and emerge as the best player in the world. I just had a passion for the game and I worked hard. Every day. I would rather train than eat or sleep.

“When I moved to Monte Carlo [to play for Monaco from the Cameroonian club Tonnerre Yaoundé in 1988] I didn’t play for the first six months. But I was determined to showcase my talent, to prove to those back home, who thought that my coming to Europe was a waste of time, that I was a good player.

"He [Wenger] was a father figure and regarded me as his son. This was a man, when racism was at its peak, who showed me love
. He wanted me to be on the pitch for him every day.

"One day, I was quite tired of training and told him that I was having a headache. He said to me: ‘George, I know it’s tough but you need to work hard. I believe that with your talent, you can become one of the best players in the world.’ So, I listened and kept going on.

"Besides God, I think that without Arsène, there was no way I would have made it in Europe. " Weah said as quoted in