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Lessons from ‘King George’
In the old days, a roar like one that echoed in Liberia’s capital Monrovia on Thursday would have been to salute a moment of pure magic by a genius called George Weah—the only African to have won the prestigious World Footballer of the Year award.
Or it would have been in celebration of one of his goals of the archives, or his cheeky body swerve that sent opponents running in the opposite direction. But it was none of the above.
This was a roar of a crowd saluting their hero—popularly known as ‘King George’ at yet another stage— the political arena, immediately after it was announced that he had taken an early lead in the Liberia’s first postwar presidential elections.
And as I listened to a BBC report on the polls, I thought Weah’s achievement should serve as an example to our local soccer stars that after a football career, there is so much more one can do with his life and that, just like Weah, they should aim high.
Last week I met John, a former local soccer star who rose to become one of the best players on the domestic scene in the 90s. Unfortunately, he let fame get into his head and before he realised, he was buried under the weight of expectation.
The forgotten soccer star, who now treads in torn slippers, told me a sad tale. After his form slumped, he lost out on his football fortunes. Life became tough and his once trusted girlfriend deserted him. He has since then been selling chiwaya chips for a living.
John then told me he recently bumped into his former girlfriend who was in the company of her new boyfriend and that she cheekily introduced John as her father’s former garden boy. Shame.
In the midst of whisking flies from off his oily and sweaty face, John further explained he felt so hurt and insulted by the incident considering the good times he had spent with the girl during his hey days as a player.
Because of the tough life he was experiencing, he told me as we parted, he had bred plans to quit his chiwaya chips efforts to head for the UK in search of other fortunes.
It was only Monday I met John again in town and he excitedly and emphatically told me: “Garry, my loan application I told you about has now been improved (I am sure he wanted to say it had been approved!) and I’ll be leaving for UK shortly.’
How I wished poor John would aim high like ‘King George’ other than just being excited with going to the UK to bathe elderly people.
How I also wished our players could realise there are many better challenges and adventures in life after football other than sneaking over wall fences at taverns to avoid paying opaque beer bills to the women sellers! Can’t they take after ‘King George’?
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