After scoring the first USMNT World Cup goal in eight years, Weah’s future suddenly looks even more promising — let’s get to know the Lille attacking man better.
After missing out on the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the United States Men’s National Team hoped to make up for lost time when they took the pitch against Group B opponent Wales at this year’s tournament in Qatar. After a chippy half-hour of play, the deadlock was finally broken in the 36th minute with a fine finish from Lille forward Tim Weah.
The 22-year-old New York-born attacker used the outside of his boot to slot the ball past keeper Wayne Hennessey to put the Yanks up 1-0. Wales ended up leveling in the second half, but after 90 minutes, it was clear: a star is emerging from Gregg Berhalter’s side.
Weah might be fairly unknown to soccer supporters outside USMNT or Ligue 1 circles, but his surname is worth a quick search. His father, George Weah, won FIFA World Player of the Year and the Ballon d’Or in 1995, and remains the only African to win the latter honor. The Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan alum was born in Liberia and earned 75 caps for its national side, but never had the chance to play on soccer’s biggest stage.
Following his retirement in 2003, George Weah went into a career in politics and is the incumbent President of Liberia.
The young man may have set off fireworks across the States on Nov. 21 when he bagged one against Wales, but Tim Weah also caught the attention of a certain football legend thanks to his heroics. After becoming the first person since Pelé in 1958 to score against Wales in a World Cup match, the Brazil icon and three-time World Cup winner heaped on the praise via Instagram.
Though born in Brooklyn, Weah also spent much of his adolescent years in Florida, beginning his youth career with West Pines United in the Fort Lauderdale area. Fluent in both English and French, Weah’s time with the USMNT began at the U14 level; during the U17 World Cup in 2017, he made history as the first US men’s player at any level to score a hat trick in the knockout round of the competition.
When he made his senior debut for the Stars and Stripes on March 27, 2018 in a friendly against Paraguay, Weah became the first athlete born in the 2000s to earn a senior cap for the team. Two months later in a friendly against Bolivia, Weah scored his first international goal to become the fourth-youngest player to score for the United States.
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Timothy Weah Contract & Salary Overview
All figures via Capology.
Club: LOSC Lille (Ligue 1, France)
Contract length: 2 years
Total value: €1,400,000 ($1,441,650)
Salary per year: €700,000 ($720,615)
Salary per week: €13,462 ($13,858)
Free agency: 2024
Weah, a PSG player through 2019 as part of a run that included a loan spell at Scottish champions Celtic, is under contract through summer 2024 at Lille. The rumor mill doesn’t link him to any standout suitors at the moment, but that could change as the United States works its way through the World Cup.
After all, there’s nothing big clubs love more than reacting enthusiastically on the transfer market — and sometimes overreacting — to a breakout performance on the biggest stage in global sports.
Tim Weah Transfer History
Youth Clubs: West Pines United, Blau Weiss Gottschee, New York Red Bulls, Paris Saint-Germain
July 2019: Paris Saint-Germain to LOSC Lille
- Transfer fee: €10,000,000
2022 USA World Cup Games (Group B)
Nov. 21 vs Wales, 2:00 p.m ET (1-1)
Nov. 25 vs. England, 2 p.m. ET
Nov. 29 vs. Iran, 1 p.m. ET
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