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George Weah by Unknown Author –

10 Best Football (Soccer) Players from Liberia

One of the many countries on the West African coast is Liberia. Liberia is represented by the Liberia national football team in men’s international football/soccer.

Liberia’s national soccer team is also commonly referred to as the Lone Star. Liberia has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. The Lone Star has also taken part in the AFCON finals just twice in its history, in 1996 and 2002.

The team’s dismal international record is however not a comment on the country’s quality of players. Liberia has produced some great names in the footballing world. One of them is George Weah, the country’s current president! Yes, you read that right.

This article will look into ten of the best footballers to have come from Liberia.

10. Peter Wilson

Born on 9th October 1996, 25-year-old Peter Wilson is one of the younger members of the Lone Star. He plays as a center forward for the Norwegian club Jerv as of 2022.

Wilson was born in Liberia although he grew up in Sweden after his parents moved there. He made his debut for the Swedish club GIF Sundsvall in 2015 at 18 years old.

He scored 21 goals for his parent club in 98 appearances between 2015 and 2020. Since 2020, he has played for Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova), Podbeskidzie (Poland), and Olympiakos Nicosia (Cyprus) before his current club.

Wilson made his international debut in 2019 and has made 8 appearances scoring two goals.

9. Sekou Oliseh

Sekou Oliseh by Amarhgil –

Sekou Jabateh Oliseh is a professional footballer born on 5th June 1990. He plays as a right winger for the Liberian national team and currently LISCR football club.

He comes from a family of footballers with three of his uncles; Azubuike Oliseh, Egutu Oliseh, and Sunday Oliseh being professional footballers. His football career began in the Danish club Midtjylland in 2006. He has played for other European clubs such as CSKA Moscow, PAOK, and Kuban Krasnodar in Russia.

In 2010, Oliseh made his international debut for Liberia. He snubbed Nigeria for Liberia citing George Weah as his motivating factor. He has played 17 times for Liberia scoring twice.

8. Anthony Laffor

Anthony Snoti Laffor was born on 17th February 1985 and plays primarily as a winger. Having represented his home country between 2003 and 2018, Laffor retired from international football. In those years he made 47 appearances for the Lone Star and scored five times.

Laffor has spent most of his career in African leagues playing in Ghana, then Liberia, and finally in South Africa. In South Africa, he played for Supersport United, Mamelodi Sundowns, and Chippa United.

In 2013 he was expelled from the international team for disciplinary reasons before the 2013 AFCON qualifiers. However, he later rejoined the team.

7. Francis Doe

Francis Doe warming up before a Major League Soccer (MLS) Superliga match by Xsmith –

Francis Forkey Doe was born on 25th December 1985 and plays as a forward. Doe made his club football debut in the Cameroonian Première Division in 2002. In this league, he was voted best foreign player, an award that had previously been won by George Weah.

He has played for many clubs including D.C. United, NY Red Bulls, and Minnesota Thunder in the USA. Other clubs he has played for include Al Ahly (Egypt), and Selangor FA(Malaysia).

In 2017, he was arrested in possession of fake registration details for his BMW 325i in Malaysia. He pleaded guilty and was fined rm 6000 (equivalent to $1294). On the same day, he traveled with his team for a league game against Sarawak. That’s commitment and undeniable love of the game if you ask me.

For Liberia’s Lone Star, Doe made his debut in 2005 and represented his country until 2016 when he retired from international football. He made 22 appearances and scored five times in that period.

6. Zah Rahan Krangar

Zah Rahan Krangar, born on 7th March 1985, played as a midfielder for the Lone Star and several clubs in Indonesia. His club career began in 2002 and lasted up until 2021.

Krangar made his international debut in 2006 and has made 32 appearances for Liberia since scoring 9 times. He scored twice in Liberia’s win over Ghana in 2012 to clinch the President’s Cup.

Zah was a prolific midfielder known for his high-energy style and approach. He was compared to great African midfielders such as Michael Essien and Alex Song.

5. Mohammed Sangare

Much like Peter Wilson, Mohammed Sangare is one for the future in the Lone Star. He was born on 28th December 1998 and currently plays for Accrington Stanley in League One; a third-tier league in England.

Sangare plays as a midfielder. Born in Liberia, Sangare moved to England at 14 to pursue football. His younger brother is following in his footsteps, currently at Wolverhampton Wanderers academy.

In 2019, he was promoted to Newcastle’s first team and then loaned out to Accrington Stanley. In 2022, his contract ended at Newcastle and he was released and then rejoined Accrington.

Sangare received his first call-up to the Liberia national team in August 2018. Since then, he has made 5 appearances and scored once.

4. Oscar Dorley

Oscar Murphy Dorley is a 24-year-old striker playing for Slavia Prague (Czech) and the Liberian national team. He plays primarily as a left-back.

Dorley has had tremendous experience despite his young age. He started his career at Monrovia Club Breweries (Liberia) and then moved to Trakai (Lithuania). Dorley then signed for Slovan Liberec (Czech) and later their direct rivals Slavia Prague.

He made his international debut for Liberia on 5th July 2015. Since then, the young man has made 30 appearances for his home country and scored twice.

3. Christopher Wreh

Line-ups for the 1998 FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium on 16 May 1998 (Wreh plays upfront as a striker) by PeeJay –

He is a footballing great to his countrymen and Arsenal fans alike. George Wreh, born on 14th May 1975, was a striker for the Liberian national team and several clubs including English giants Arsenal FC.

Wreh started his career at Monaco (France) before moving to Arsenal in 1997. He was part of the legendary team that won the Premier League and FA Cup double during the 1997–98 season.

On the international front, Wreh also put in great performances. He won 36 caps scoring 11 goals. One of his most notable international achievements was playing in the 1996 AFCON. He also won the FA Charity Shield with Arsenal in 1998 and 1999.

His work with Lone Star did not end with his playing days. He became coach of the Liberian under-20 team in 2014. In 2019, he was appointed assistant coach of the senior Lone Star squad. His son Chris plays as a striker for Southend United in England’s National League.

2. Joe Nagbe

Joe Thunder Armstrong Nagbe was a midfielder. He represented the Liberian National team and several top European clubs such as Monaco and Nice in France.

Nagbe is currently Liberia’s most-capped international men’s football player with 77 appearances. He played for Liberia from 1986 to 2011 and scored no goals in his term. Nagbe’s son Darlington Nagbe is a midfielder who played for the USA Men’s National Team (USA MNT) and Columbus Crew in the MLS.

1. George Weah

Liberian President George Weah in 2019 by U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia –

No doubt about it, George Weah is Liberia’s best and greatest football player. If you’re wondering how good he was, he won the FIFA World Player of the Year despite his country not qualifying for the World Cup Finals. He is regarded as one of the best players never to have played at the World Cup.

George Weah has played for the best clubs in Europe and the World. He was signed at Monaco by Arsen Wenger before moving to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), AC Milan and having short stints in England at Chelsea and Manchester City.

On the international front, Weah played for Liberia from 1986 to 2002. He however did grace the pitch once again in 2018 in a friendly where his #14 Jersey was retired.

After football, Weah joined politics in Liberia, and in January 2018, he assumed office as Liberia’s 25th President. His two son’s George Weah Jr. and Timothy Weah are both professional footballers.