Liberian President and former football star George Weah is set to award former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger the West African country’s highest honor. Weah, who was elected president of his country last year, plans to honor Wenger and another French coach Claude Le Roy at a ceremony on Friday.
The Liberian president who shared pictures of him with his two former coaches wrote; Have the honor to welcome two of my former coaches to Liberia. Arsene Wenger and Claude Le Roy both played a pivotal role in shaping my soccer career.
They both played crucial roles in Weah’s career.
Le Roy discovered Weah playing for a club in Cameroon in the late 1980s and recommended him to Wenger, then the coach of Monaco. Wenger took the advice, signed the Liberian and Weah went on to play for Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, and became the first and still only African to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1995.
Liberian sports minister Zeogar Wilson said Wenger is to be given the Humane Order of African Redemption with the rank of Knight Grand Commander. Wenger is expected to attend Friday’s ceremony.