It is often joked that, after winning a championship or any other big game, a star player could run for Mayor of his team’s town or Governor of its State, and win. It superficially makes sense - everyone loves a winner - but players rarely ever pursue such an ambition.
George Weah, 1995’s World Player of the Year, and the greatest player in Liberian soccer history, has taken what most players dismiss as nonsense and turned it into a reality. Weah ran for a seat in the Liberian senate and Friday it was announced that he had won in a landslide victory.
Weah took home 78% of the vote for the Montserrado county seat, including the capital Monrovia. The soccer star’s commanding win was made more notable by the fact that his main rival, Robert Sirleaf, not only took a paltry 11% of the votes, but is also the son of the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Now elected to office, Weah will be helping to govern a country that is going through the worst recorded ebola outbreak in history. The disease has killed 3,376 people in Liberia alone, and there are estimated to be 19,340 reported cases across Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
If you liked this, you might also like…
Yaya Toure And Actor Idris Elba Team Up To Fight Ebola
