As Milan and Juventus prepare to face off at San Siro, George Weah, the former AC Milan star and Ballon d’Or winner, finds his heart torn between his past and his present. Despite winning two Scudetti with Milan and scoring 58 goals in 147 appearances between 1995 and January 2000, Weah’s support will be with Juventus this time around.
This allegiance stems partly from his son Timothy’s presence in the Juventus squad since last year, but more significantly from a childhood passion ignited by Michel Platini. In an interview with La Repubblica, Weah revealed, “I was a die-hard Juventus fan. It was during the years when Platini played for Juve, and many African children, including myself, idolized him. I adored how he took free kicks and penalties. We small kids playing on the streets tried to imitate his kicking style. When the ball left his foot, it would curve, but we could never manage it. Platini was a role model, a legend, and I never stopped being a Juventus fan.”
While he won’t be in Milan for the match, Weah will be cheering for Juventus and Timothy from Monrovia, Liberia. “I’ll support Juventus because it’s the team of my heart and because my son plays for them. I hope it’s a good match. If Juventus wins, I’ll be happy; if Milan wins, I won’t be 100% happy, but a little bit, yes. Has my son fulfilled the dream I had as a child? You could say that.”
Interestingly, George Weah himself had the opportunity to join Juventus when he was playing for Monaco. He explains, “When I was at Monaco, Juventus showed interest in me, but I was still very young, and Wenger advised me to stay in France a bit longer because I needed to mature. Serie A, at that time, was perhaps the most difficult league in the world. So I went to PSG instead.”
Weah’s journey eventually led him to Milan in 1995, joining a team that had just lost the Champions League final to Ajax but remained one of the world’s best. He reminisces, “Five fantastic years at Milan. As an opponent, I watched and admired them. I remember well that Champions League final they lost to Ajax. Van Basten was still there, and he later honored me by letting me have his number 9 shirt. Everyone wanted to play in Italy, and I chose, even though I could have gone elsewhere. I dreamed of Juve, but I couldn’t say no to Milan.”
The football legend maintains strong connections with his former teammates: “I’m still in touch with my old companions: I called Sebastiano Rossi; I often speak with Boban and Maldini, to whom I owe so much; and Marco Simone, my great friend.”
