Is China becoming a Dream Destination for African Footballers?

The Chinese Super League has become notorious for snatching big name players under the very noses of the most established clubs. What does this all mean? Are witnessing a revolution in professional football? Should we start picking our favorite teams in the CSL and wear their t-shirts? Honestly, why China? Let us see how my mind tries to answer this question in the next few lines.

A fortnight ago, Cedric Bakambu became the most expensive African player in history after completing his move to Beijing Guaon from the La Liga’s yellow submarine, Villarreal. The Chinese side forked out 65 million pounds eclipsing the 35 million pounds that Liverpool paid for Mohamed Salah or what they might pay for Naby Keita in the summer. The DRC forward is not the typical, aging player wrapping up his career in Asia, he is well in his prime at the age of 26. Even though he had attracted interest from a host of other European giants after rubbing shoulders with Lionel Messi in the scoring charts, he opted for the Chinese club. It is not only Cedric, there are many more.

In the same period, we also witnessed Cameroonian captain, Benjamin Moukandjo switching one CSL club for another and Ghanaian Richmond Boakye joining Coach Fabio Capello at Jiangsu Suning. Honestly, it is mainly because these Chinese sides have become the highest bidders in their spending spree to attract big names to boost the support for the local game. The Nigerian international, Odion Ighalo shared in an interview with Sky Sports that EPL side Watford released him to Changchun Yatai F.C because they were prepared to pay more. Even, the Belgium midfielder, Alex Witsel at 20 years of age, turned down Juventus for Tianjin Quanjian revealing that the Chinese side presented a more lucrative offer for his family.

Other African players who switched to China include Ivory Coast captain, Gervinho, Demba Ba, Asamoah Gyan, Didier Drogba, Stephane Mbia, Nigeria’s John Obi Mikel, Barcelona’s Seydou Keita, Obafemi Martins only to mention but a few. These players have also mingled with talent from other regions in the form of the Brazilian Oscar who moved from Chelsea to Shanghai SIPG, Hulk, Carlos Tevez, Ramires, Yannick Carrasco, Alexandre Pato and most recently Javier Mascherano who left Barcelona. These big money captures by Chinese clubs have undoubtedly justified the means by giving the league an image and its competitiveness will only increase.

The recent capture of Bakambu and the big money sell of Paulinho to Barcelona in the summer, who has been phenomenal for the Catalans by the way, continue to provide more evidence that the CSL can outbid any club and most importantly produce world-class players. More so because of the influence of great managers like Manuel Pellegrini, Fabio Capello and Fabio Cannavaro. The CSL may as well have become the top destination for any African player because of the prospects cash influx and career growth without being overshadowed by the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.

CSL runs from March to November every year and limits the number of foreign players to five per team, including a player from the Asian Football Confederation countries. We might all need to consider learning how to pronounce the CSL’s team names. They are here to stay.

Tottenham In An Advantageous Position

Coming into the first leg of the Champions League fixture between Juventus and Tottenham,  many of us were surprised to see Tottenham go toe to toe with the Italian Giants. The Bianconeri, are a formidable opponent for any club, seemed to be caught back at times during the eventual 2-2 draw between both teams. With the second leg being held at Wembley in London, one feels that the pendulum is shifting ever so slightly in the Spurs direction. 

Juventus has spent around $140M since the 2017 summer transfer period, and are in a similar position to that of an underachieving PSG. Success is judged differently for both of these clubs, as they sit comfortably atop both of their respective leagues. In the last 5 years, PSG has won 4 out of the 5 Ligue 1 titles in France, absolutely dominating teams with their exquisite play, but with their checkbooks as well. Juventus has won the Series A title 6 years and running, which is a staggering stat that ultimately alters the perspective of a successful campaign for them. With a domestic league championship almost a given for them recently, attention has shifted heavily towards a UEFA Champions League trophy that has evaded them since 1996. An exit at this stage of the tournament would no doubt be catastrophic for Turin club as it was for the Parisians.

Tottenham on the other hand, enter the match without any of the heavy expectation that plagues their opponents. They are in every sense of the word, over-achieving, in not only their progression in the tournament, but also their ability to stay “Top Four” in the English Premier League. This is a feat they have yet to accomplish as a club, and simply cannot be understated given the completion level in the EPL. Since the 1960-1961 Tottenham have yet to win an English League Cup and have nowhere close to the Champions League clout of a Juventus. Tottenham should instead be relishing the opportunity to take a step forward and continue demonstrating to the footballing world that they belong at this level. Read more on Tottenham coach Pochettino thoughts going into the fixture.

Africans To Watch Out For In The UCL Round of 16: #1 Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah

We simply cannot tire to talk about this particular Egyptian. By now, you might have an idea why. The Liverpool forward has scored 30 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions, with five of those coming in the UEFA Champions League. He also knows a thing or two about assists, having made seven so far. He is inarguably one of the most dreaded forwards in the football world right now. Check out our Champions League Super XI article to learn how he made it into the list ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Africans To Watch Out For In The UCL Round of 16: #2 Sadio Mane

Sadio Mane

He might have scored just nine goals and bagged six assists so far in all competitions but the Senegalese’s quality needs no introduction. His three UCL goals came in just four appearances and clocked 31km/hr. top speed, more than Mo Salah. He has not had a spectacular season at Liverpool this time, not because of inability but largely the ingenuity of his African counterpart in the form of Salah. Their combination upfront is even a better show of brilliance than their individual performances. With Mane and Salah on one side and Brahimi and Aboubakar on the other, the Porto vs Liverpool match presents a marvelous show of African talent.

Africans To Watch Out For In The UCL Round of 16: #3 Yacine Brahimi

Yacine Brahimi

He is not perhaps as celebrated, but he is Vincent’s partner in crime at the Portuguese club. The 28-year-old Algerian has become a very important component of the Porto midfield. This season alone, he has scored seven goals and has seven assists to his name, averaging a passing accuracy of 79.2%. In the UEFA Champions League alone, he recovered 14 balls and covered 55.7km in six matches. It promises to be an interesting affair when they clash with fellow Africans from the Premier League in the form of Liverpool.

Africans To Watch Out For In The UCL Round of 16: #4 Vincent Aboubakar

Vincent Aboubakar

FC Porto will be looking up to the Cameroonian forward to replicate his group stages performances if they are going to see off Liverpool. The 26 year old has scored 24 goals in 32 appearances in all competitions and registered five assists. Five of those goals were in five UCL appearances and turning up the style in big games is a very familiar territory to him. Do you remember the sensational winning goal he scored against Egypt in the AFCON finale in 2017?

Africans To Watch Out For In The UCL Round of 16: #5 Geoffroy Serey Dié

Geoffroy Serey Dié

The veteran Ivorian midfielder is a figure of maturity and resilience in the Basel midfield. At 33 years old, he still has a thing for bossing midfield. He made just three appearances in the group stages but recovered 10 balls, making four tackles and a passing accuracy of 90%. He peaked in their famous victory against Manchester United when he produced a man of the match performance. However, with the Swiss team facing the Premier League run away leaders, Manchester City, this opportunity presents a different challenge for Serey and his teammates.

Impact of Football on Fans

How often do we actually sit down and think about the value that football adds to the avid soccer fan? Well, at FirstTouch Football, we like looking into such things and think about the impact. Does football bring joy, despair or any other emotion? Here’s our thought process.

In a tournament like the UEFA Champions League, there are two different types of teams that are often seeded against each other in the knockout rounds. The first being the typical giants like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Juventus, most recently Paris St Germain among others. These are very big teams with great ambitions. They are often expected to win every match that they play during the season. This is different to the kind of teams like Liverpool, Basel, FC Porto and the like who are usually in this tournament just to try their luck and see where it takes them. It is not like they really look forward to lifting the trophy at the end of the tournament. This is just how it is. Having said that, this mentality within the team spreads out to a fan of the teams in question such that, whenever a soccer season starts, they know the limit to their expectations on their favorite teams.

When the tournament commences, nerves are prone to attacks. Fans have a scare when their teams fail to score, concede penalties, and receive red cards among other things. It doesn’t end there, some go home disappointed in the results. This has an impact on a person’s mood for the rest of the day and even sometimes the following days as you’ll be having some fans of other clubs sometimes rubbing the defeat in your face.

Enough said about the negative energy. What about winning? How’s that? ArsenalFan TV (on YouTube) has been a great platform that shows the emotions of fans post matches. The excitement, joy or happiness you see on the faces as their teams triumph in derbies or big matches is priceless. Soccer fans literally cannot stop smiling when they reflect on their teams performances after big wins. However, this is only beaten by claiming the title in any competition. Being the team to defeat everyone in the competition brings pride to the club and the fans. I mean, this is why people support football. To hopefully see their team lift a trophy at the end of the competition. Unfortunately, the trophy is only lifted by one team in any competition which sometimes mean that one team in a league of twenty is celebrating. What then would be a fair evaluation of the impact of soccer at such a moment? Does it bring happiness to the fans more than disappointment? What do you think?

Raheem “The Dream” Sterling

29 November 2017, On a frigid evening at the Etihad, Southampton’s Oriol Romeu looked as if he had earned a point for Southampton in the 75th minute when he tucked home from close range against Ederson. That canceled out City's opener, which came when Virgil van Dijk deflected a free kick from Kevin De Bruyne into his own net in the 47th minute. Coming into the match, City were  beginning to flex on the entirety of the Premier League. They were boasting an 11 game winning streak, and about to shock the footballing world by going on to eventually set a BPL record of winning 18 games to start the season. In the sixth and final minute of stoppage time, Raheem Sterling came to the rescue yet again, as a well worked combination with PFA Player of The Year candidate Kevin DB gave Sterling the space he needed to curl in a heartbreaking effort from the top of the box, past a defeated Frasier Foster. Oof. 2-1, and that was that. I would say this is a moment we have all been waiting for, but Sterling and City have been giving us these moments in abundance so far this season.

While the versatile attacker contributed a rather muted performance 13 January 2018, against his former club Liverpool, resulting in City’s first loss of the campaign, Sterling is enjoying by far his best and most productive season of his career. As the talent has been there since he was scoring hat tricks in Liverpool’s youth team back in 2011, a consistent end product seemed to still be proving elusive for the Jamaican-born star.

In the world of art and entertainment, the word “talent” has always proven to be polarizing. The noun lends itself to immense amounts of expectation, praise, or scrutiny depending on whichever side of it one finds themselves on. This is no different in the world of sport, and in our case, football. In a sport that somehow finds itself becoming younger and younger, we are often finding ourselves becoming hyper-critical of young “starlets” who have garnered global hype and praise while still having yet to establish themselves as world-class or even consistent players clubs can build their teams around. This is an issue that seems to be highlighted in the BPL especially, as the league's off-the-field success has lead to inflated contracts and league transfer values. One shouldn’t have to look further than the likes of Andy Carroll, Luke Shaw, and Adam Lallana.

In England’s first division, this list of similar players continues to grow gradually, just like it’s narrative, as it subtly exposes the amount of players in the country who are failing to live up to the quality and international pedigree of their predecessor Wayne Rooney. A true world class player for the majority of his career, Rooney bodied the premier league for over a decade while setting countless records and becoming Manchester United’s all time leading goal scorer. Even past his prime, he has still found ways this season to inspire a disjointed Everton side with his production and grit.

Which brings us back to Raheem. During his time at Liverpool, we watched the forward rise onto the scene 24 March 2012, as Sterling made his senior Liverpool debut as a substitute in a league match against Wigan Athletic. At 17 years and 107 days old, he became the third-youngest player to play for the club and only featured twice more over the remainder of the campaign, again as a substitute. Over the course of the next two seasons we saw his game grow in impact and production, as he formed a lethal attacking trident with the league’s then top player in Luis Suarez, and a healthy Daniel Sturridge who may have been entering the form of his career. When Suarez left to FC Barcelona after the World Cup in 2014, expectations for Sterling grew a bit feverishly. After a strong performance in his first World Cup competition that year, Sterling was awarded the prestigious Golden Boy, which is given by sports journalists to the “best” U21 football player playing in Europe over the course of the year. As accompanying rumors of the player leaving to Real Madrid and Manchester City arrived seemingly on queue, an under pressure Brendan Rodgers struggled at times to get the best out a 19-year-old Sterling and an underwhelming Liverpool squad fresh off of the title letdown of the previous campaign and the loss of the talismanic Luis Suarez. As reports grew of a rift between Sterling and Rodgers, as well as a potential departure to City in the summer transfer window of 2015, expectations grew hastily alongside them. While Sterling shone brightly at times over the course of the campaign, the shoes left behind by Suarez proved to be a bit too big, and an injury plagued season for England international Daniel Sturridge lead to compounding amounts of pressure on Raheem. Ultimately, Liverpool finished the season in sixth, twelve points off of Champions League qualification and all eyes pointed to an under fire Brendan Rodgers as well as a young and slightly petulant Sterling. The contract dispute and eventual falling out between both parties proved almost predictable, with a move away from the Merseyside club seeming inevitable.

When Manchester City came calling on July 12, 2015, questions arose from football publications and pundits alike. Is a 19-year-old really worth 45 Million pounds after a season where his production across all competitions regressed? Did he owe Liverpool one or two more seasons of loyalty? Will he follow in the disappointing footsteps of fellow British players such as Shawn Wright Phillips and Theo Walcott? These inquiries proved to be harsh at times, with some coming from former players and coaches who are clearly out of touch with the modern game and its challenges. With that being said, some of these insights have stemmed from those who clearly only want to see the young lad succeed and meet his potential, as so many before him have failed to do. His debut campaign at City proved to be a season of firsts as Sterling scored his first competitive goal for Manchester City - in a 2–0 defeat of Watford at the the City of Manchester Stadium and also scored his first career hat-trick as City beat Bournemouth 5–1 on 17 October. On 3 November, Sterling scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 1–3 win at Sevilla. Though the 2015/2016 season got off to a good start for the attacker, it unfortunately would not end as such. Raheem failed to sustain his form in an underperforming City side that seemed distracted by the looming and eventual departure of then coach Manuel Pelligrini. Two-thirds into the season, in a loss to rivals Manchester United, Sterling picked up a groin injury that would ultimately cast him out of a spot in the starting lineup, giving the media a whole new slew questions and judgements on his development heading into the summer. While the 2016/2017 campaign may have brought new doubts, it also brought along the ingenuity, personality, and influence of Pep Guardiola.

While we all know of Guardiola’s reputation as a master tactician and scholar of the game, not enough has been said about my man’s player management skills. Of course, the 14 trophies in four seasons he won with FC Barcelona made him the most successful coach in the club’s history, but his eye for talent paired with his ability to nurture it should be deemed almost as impressive. Look no further than Pedro Rodriguez, a player that may not have had the talent that Sterling has in abundance, but one that benefited from the teachings of Guardiola and the world-class players that surrounded him. In 2009/2010, Pep confirmed that Pedro would be promoted to Barcelona's first team and he responded with a breakthrough year, during which he became the first player to score in six different club competitions across a single season and in the same year. 99 goals and 20 trophies later, it’s hard to argue with Pedro's development, killer instinct, and understanding of the game.

As the 2016/2017 season wore on, in a team that clearly struggled to adjust to the exceptionally high standard that is Pep football, Sterling had a bounce back season, registering 10 goals and 16 assists. Even more importantly, the development mentally and off the field was evident, and all of the hard work was beginning to pay dividends. With more intelligent off-the-ball movement, Sterling was finally learning how to impact the game for himself and his teammates with less of the ball at his feet.

Now at 23, Sterling is enjoying his best season to date. We are all witnessing the consistent impact, industry, and hunger in his game that should justify all of the hype as well price tag that City paid Liverpool for his services. With 21 goals and 5 assists across all competitions at the halfway mark of this season, he has already eclipsed the entirety of his offensive output while at Liverpool. As ironic as it was to see his former club hand Guardiola and Man City their first loss of the BPL campaign, it’s hard to see anyone slowing them down. As the 2018 World Cup awaits this summer, we wait patiently to see how Sterling will take what he has learned from his experiences this season to help drive the England national side deep into the knockout rounds on the biggest stage of all.

African Football 101: FirstTouch’s 8 points

Introduction

Nwako Kanu, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, George Weah, Samuel Kuffor and now Mohamed Salah – these are some of the big name African footballers who have illuminated Europe’s top domestic leagues. But with so many dazzling stars over the years, what does football on the African continent really look like? Do they have leagues, transfer windows? Are there any more Sadio Mane’s that some clubs could benefit from? How do Africans and the world see their football? Well, the list of questions goes on but here is one perspective from an African.

A.It all begins with a rubbish ball

Old newspapers, plastics, string, foam rubber and a touch of fire are all the right ingredients that make a soccer ball. In the streets of Harare, kids barely five years old scan through rubbish dumps to collect materials to make their own soccer balls either because their parents cannot afford a real one or that it would smash windows when they play in the streets. That’s where stars are first made, in the tiny tarred roads separating homesteads, battling it out barefooted. Fast forward a few more years and then the kids are old enough to play in dust community football pitches or at school where they soon become town celebrities. This is largely the narrative, not only in Harare but most parts of Africa. They are not a lot of fancy football academies there.

B. Club football

Probably 1 in maybe 1000 talented footballers actually end up playing for the local clubs. Most of them are lost in the system of “get good grades to get a job,” a popular slogan of risk averse parents. But who would blame them, as most of the domestic football leagues are poorly funded and dominated not by young talent but more mature “talent” looking to fend for their families.

For those few who actually make it, there is a bit of silver lining in some leagues. For example, the South African Premier League (PSL) which is fast becoming a powerhouse. It ships players mainly from Zimbabwe, Nigeria and many other African countries because in reality, other countries seem to host better talent than them. They do have a footballing calendar closely aligned to that in Europe and transfer windows where millions of rands are spent. But for a long time, club football on the continent has been dominated by North African clubs such as Al Ahly and Zamalek.

It is in some of these football leagues, where the Mo Salahs or George Weahs are first spotted and find themselves living the dream in Europe. There is another route where affluent parents send their children to academies abroad or that the families relocate and the kids found themselves growing up in foreign countries and pursuing the dream. This is the case of Alex Iwobi, the Nigerian and Arsenal youngster who grew up in England, Delle Alli (a Nigerian adopted by English parents), Mario Balotelli and many more.

C. Internationals

Like anywhere else in the world, when nations clash, its mostly about the bragging rights. Over the years, Africa has been dominated by West Africans such as Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Mali and Ivory Coast. They are known for their huge physicality while North Africans who consistently rank hire boast of some scintillating passing football, probably because they are close to countries like France and Spain. But all this is slowly changing, physical or scintillating football is coming from anywhere, it all depends on who is coaching the team especially now when most African teams employ coaches from outside the continent.

In terms of performances on global tournaments like the World Cup, because of the talent both at home and abroad, Africans should be doing more. But usually, inconsistent showings are earmarked by stories of low or non-payment of allowances and lack of insurance for players.

The nicknames of most national teams are as fierce as they come, Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, Super Eagles of Nigeria, Lions of Terranga (Senegal), Warriors of Zimbabwe, Lions of the Atlas (Morrocco), Desert foxes (Algeria), Copper Bullets of Zambia, the list is endless. What a powerhouse of names!

The Legacy of African Football

Introduction

For many years, the African continent has been described as the “dark continent” because of its myriad of challenges such as civil wars, malnutrition, poor governance amongst many other reasons. That narrative is slowly changing, as Africa the has become the second fastest growing economic region. Just as citizens are working together to bring out the much desired change in Africa, football stars have been no different. Coming from humble and sometimes difficult backgrounds and then going on to bag big monies in Europe or elsewhere, they hardly forget their roots. Here is a list of some of the icons who have left their mark on the continent.

Didier Drogba

Who else to begin with but the Chelsea man who scored more than 100 English Premier League goals and won them their only UEFA Champions League trophy in 2012. He certainly was a fan favorite in London but even more adored in the West African nation. Even though he failed to win the Afcon title for the Ivory Coast, he did give them a lot to cheer about. Drogba once used his influence to broker a ceasefire between rebel fighters and the government by advocating for an African Cup of Nations qualifier to be held in the rebel town of Bouake.

He established the Didier Drogba Foundation to improve the health and education of children in Africa. Didier once pledged to use all his endorsement revenues for charitable causes beginning with the $3 million he got from Pepsi. He used it to set up a hospital in Abidjan in 2009.

Michael Essien

The midfield maestro who was loved by Mourinho for his resilience and strong tackles on the pitch was truly a “black star” in Ghana, giving light and hope to thousands. He had a very successful career in Europe playing for Chelsea, Real Madrid and AC Millan. The ever smiling Ghanaian set up the Michael Essien Foundation to raise funds to help the less fortunate access basic amenities such as public toilets, health care equipment, libraries and clean drinking water. He is also involved in Reading Goals initiative which seeks to inculcate reading habits in students. In June 2013, Essien organized the “Game of Hope” charity match in Accra which pitted African footballers against other global footballers to raise awareness on the need of peace.

Nwako Kanu

The ex-Arsenal and Nigerian Super Eagles star was such a wonder on the pitch. Standing over 6 ft. tall, he would dance past defenders and surely became a reliable marksman for the Gunners. After escaping a heart scare himself, Kanu opened the Nwako Kanu Heart Foundation in 2000 to assist young children in Nigerian and the rest of Africa to obtain heart surgeries. The UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador’s Foundation has arranged for over 1000 children to travel abroad and get heart surgeries done.

George Weah

Mister George is perhaps the most decorated African player of all time. He really had a great time in Europe where he played for Monaco, PSG, AC Millan, Chelsea and Manchester City. In that period, he won two French titles, 2 Italian Serie A titles, 3 CAF Player of the year awards and the FIFA Ballon d’Or. After being involved in Goodwill ambassadorial work for the UN and UNICEF, Weah began a political career which peaked with him becoming Liberia’s President in a historic election for the country.

Joseph Yobo

The former Everton and Nigerian center-half is probably not as popular as the above four man in football matters but his work off the pitch has been equally beneficial. He started the Joseph Yobo Charity Foundation in Nigeria which has seen over 300 students ranging from primary to university receive educational scholarships. Yobo also set up a football academy in Nigeria’s Ogoni Region.

Conclusion

It may not be all of them but if we are to sum up the legacy of African football legends in a sentence, it would be that of developmental work on the continent. With their contributions and that of other individuals from varied industries, the rising continent of Africa has a bright future that will forever be linked to the game of football..

From king of the pitch to king of a nation: George Weah

“My fellow Liberians, I deeply feel the emotion of all the nation. I measure the importance and the responsibility of the immense task which I embrace today. Change is on.” George Weah tweeted these words on the night of Thursday, 28th of December 2017 as he waltzed into history books once again but now as the first ex-football star to become president of a nation.

Yes, his story is a typical success story of “came from a humble background and then made it in life through hard work and perseverance,” but Mr. Weah is no ordinary successful man. He is idolized in the West African nation as “Mister George.”

The beginning

It all started from Clara Town slum of Monrovia, one of the poorest counties in the nation founded by freed American slaves, Liberia. George was born to William T. Weah, Snr. and Anna Quayeweah but raised mostly by his paternal grandmother. Like any other child with decent opportunities in Africa, he attended middle school at Muslim Congress and Wells Hairston in high school before but at the time, only himself knew that he was firstly a footballer before he was a student. Mister George’s football career started off quickly in the domestic leagues where he won few titles and some personal accolades including the Liberian Premier League title. Sometime during his domestic football career he had to work as a switchboard technician at Liberia Telecommunications to get by in life but his successes would soon catch the attention of Arsene Wenger. He was quickly brought to Monaco by Arsene and then the conquest began.

Football career

The story goes on, the wheels wouldn’t just come off in this man’s illustrious career, there was no stopping him. He went on to win a four major titles in France with Paris St Germain in the 1989-1995 period before moving to Italy. George Weah then bagged two Italian Serie A titles in four years with AC Milan playing alongside Roberto Baggio in the frontline. His European successes were also coupled with dominance in Africa, winning three CAF African Player of the Year titles in 1989, 1994 and 1999 and became the first and up to now, the only African player to have won the coveted Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s World Player of the Year in 1994. He is known for his strength, speed and dribbling ability. Most people remember the goal he scored at Milan against Verona where he dribbled past seven players from his own box until he scored. FIFA described him as the “precursor of the multi-functional strikers of today.” He became popularly known as King George. Mr. Weah’s decorated football career ended with short spells at Chelsea, Manchester City and finally Al-Jazira in UAE in 2003. He was voted Africa’s Player of the century by sport journalists, the same recognition that the Brazilian Pele got for South America and Johan Cruyff for Europe. But the story is only half done. He was always a patriotic, who went back home to Liberia when he won his first CAF award while he was at Monaco to celebrate with his country. Watch what happens next.

Off the pitch

He was always a person of goodwill, even though there was an incident where he broke the Portuguese, Jorge Costa’s nose in the tunnel after a Champions League match at Porto in 1996. He alleged that Jorge had made some racist comments on which he never got any witnesses. George later apologized to Costa but the Portuguese wouldn’t have any of that. He was however named FIFA Fair Player of the year that year and also became UNICEF and UN Goodwill Ambassador later. Back home, Mister George was a President of Junior professionals, a football club that required school attendance for entry. Most of the recruits have gone to play for the national team. In 2016, he partnered with Indian Entrepreneur, Nirav Tripathi in a multi-million deal that would set up global football academies to assist youth in impoverished and emerging nations.

Mr. President

In 2005, George Weah announced his intentions to run for Presidency against the Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Harvard educated, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Some people probably thought he was biting more than he could chew right there. Surprisingly he was leading the race in the first round of elections with 28.3% of the votes. He however eventually lost the presidency to Sirleaf getting 40.6% and his rival 59.4% in the second round of elections where he accused the opposition for voter intimidation and ballot tampering which was brushed aside by the African Union. He humbly took the loss. Weah was always criticized for lacking formal education to govern a nation by opposition leaders, they called him “a babe in woods.” He once replied to the critics in a statement, “With all their education and experience, they have governed this nation for hundreds of years. They have never done anything for the nation.”

After pursuing a business administration degree at DeVry University in Miami, Mister George returned home and successfully campaigned for the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) in Montserrado County senatorial by-election. In 2011, CDC unsuccessfully contested in the elections selecting Weah as the Vice-President with Winston Tubman as the presidential candidate. Three years later, Weah was elected into the Senate after overwhelmingly beating the president’s son, Robert Sirleaf. He became the first international athlete to make to represent a county in the Liberian legislature.

2017 has been the year when it all comes together outside the pitch for Mister George. He is officially the President of Liberia in historic election which saw the first democratic transition of power. He beat Vice President Joseph Boakai by getting 61.5% of the 98% votes counted with Boakai getting 38.5%.

He is the only African player to have won the FIFA World Player of the year in 1995, the Ballon d’Or in the same year and the first ex-football star to lead a nation, his is George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah and this is FirstTouch Football.

Africa’s Best Footballing Moments in 2017

Cameroon wins bragging rights at AFCON 2017

The African cup of nations(AFCON) kicked off in Gabon with 16 finalists battling it out for one prize. Ivory Coast were holders of the trophy heading into the tournament and clearly one of the favorites alongside Gabon, Senegal, Algeria and Egypt. (change nations to reflect thes player changes). These nations are historically revered for their experience and star studded line ups with players lighting up the world’s major football leagues such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez, and Mo Salah. We also saw some of the continents young starlets getting their feet wet in the competition with the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Keita Balde, and Christian Bassogog getting their AFCON debuts. But ultimately none of that mattered, as it was Cameroon’s time to steal the headlines. Hugo Broos fielded a young side who went past Burkina Faso, Senegal and Egypt to be crowned Africa cup of nations winners for the fifth time. The Indomitable Lions certainly redeemed their big brothers who failed to win a single game in the 2015 tournament. The next African champions are scheduled to be crowned in Cameroon 2019.

North Africans bossed the year

It certainly was the year of the Arabs on the continent who showed signs of revitalizing their place as Africa’s elite. It kicked off with 7 time African Champions, Egypt becoming 1st runners up in the AFCON finals after their latest appearance in the tournament dated back to 2010. Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca then won the CAF Champions League in an all North African final against Egypt’s Al Ahly for the first time in 25 years. The year capped off with North Africans winning 3 of the 5 spots to represent the continent at next year’s World Cup finals in Russia. Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal make up the list with notable absentees such as Ghana and Ivory Coast losing out to Egypt and Morocco in the group stages.

The emergence of Mo Salah

What a 2017 it was for Mohamed Salah! The Egyptian arrived at the Merseyside club, Liverpool for a record transfer for an African player of 42 million euros which was then eclipsed by the same club for the signature of Guinean ace, Naby Keita. Mo Salah had scored 34 goals and 24 assists for Roma in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 season, and scarily, his form has only improved. In a league considered the world’s toughest, he has scored 20 goals in all competitions at the half mark of the season, only Harry Kane is above him in the Premier League goals tally and Salah is not even an outright striker, as Klopp usually deploys him on the left side of Liverpool’s front three. His impact also spread to his national team, as he  helped the Pharaohs of Egypt reach the world cup finals for the first time since 1990 and was named BBC’s African Footballer of the year. He is also part of the 3 finalists for the CAF Best Player to be crowned in January 2018 together with teammate Sadio Mane and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. With such a pedigree, it is understandable when rumors linking Mohamed to clubs like Real Madrid surface.

TP Mazembe gives DRC something to smile about

DRC might be war torn because of the long standing dispute between the controversial president, Joseph Kabila’s government and rebels for the country’s rich mineral resources but its football stars certainly give the citizens something to cherish. The national team did put up a good show at the AFCON finals making it to the knockout stages and also in the world cup qualifiers where they finished second in a group marginally won by Tunisia. The Congolese scored the most goals in these qualifiers more than any other African team. They eventually got some silverware for their all-round performances in the CAF Confederation finals, a tournament for domestic club cup winners on the continent. TP Mazembe beat South Africa’s high flying SuperSport United in a thoroughly entertaining two-legged final to win the cup in two consecutive years. A lot of things might not be right on the continent but football certainly plays a huge role in healing nations.

George Weah wins Liberia’s presidency in a historic democratic election

The only African player to have won the much coveted Ballon d’Or (1995) and FIFA’s award for World Best Male player in the same year, 1 Champions League title, 2 Italian Serie A titles, a Ligue 1 title and now Mr. President! The Liberian is now undoubtedly one of the most influential men in football history. You don’t want to miss this full feature about Mister George here on FT Football.

Special

Ronaldo equals Messi’s record

The Portuguese star beat Lionel Messi and Neymar to the 2017 Ballon d’Or award equaling Messi’s record of 5 recognitions as the best player in the world. Christiano Ronaldo also won the inaugural FIFA BEST player award ahead of Messi and Neymar. Ronaldo helped Portugal win their first European title in 2016 and won 5 trophies with Real Madrid including the Champions League trophy, Club World cup and Spanish League gold. Messi and Ronaldo have officially dominated the football world for the past decade.

Kaka hangs his boots

“It was much more than I could ever imagined. Thank you!” he said. “I’m now ready for the next journey. In Jesus’ name. Amen.” – Kaka

On Sunday, the 17th of December 2017, the world woke up to this news on Twitter. The 35-year old Brazilian announced his retirement after a career that most people will remember. He joined AC Milan from Sao Paulo in 2003 where he spent six years where he helped Millan to Champions League success in 2007, scoring 10 goals in the process. He then transferring to Real Madrid for then record transfer fee of 56 million pounds. He won Spanish League title and the Copa Del Rey cup before returning to Millan in 2013 and then finishing his career in MLS at Orlando City.

Kaka is the last player to have won the Ballon d’Or in 2007 before Messi and Ronaldo took over the show. He now plans to return to AC Milan for an off the pitch role.

The Brazilian Magician might have not won as many individual trophies as Messi or Ronaldo but he certainly is a footballer that everyone will remember, not only for his immense skill, but also for his humility and influence off the pitch.