George Weah: “Timothy couldn’t say no to Juventus. Milan? I had discussed It with Maldini”

The Milan-Juventus match is also a story of the Weahs: father George, born a Juventus fan but who made history with AC Milan, and of Timothy, who arrived in Turin last year and is finding consistency this year, including in scoring (he has already netted four goals) under Thiago Motta.

In an interview with La Repubblica, Weah revealed that his son was close to playing this match in the opposite colors. The potential move to Milan dates back to when Paolo Maldini was still at the club, with whom George won two Scudetti in 1996 and 1999: “I had talked about Timo with Maldini, there was a possibility of him going to Milan, but it didn’t materialize. When my son mentioned Juve to me, I told him not to hesitate for a moment. We discussed it with his mom and manager, and we all agreed: you couldn’t say no to an opportunity that millions of kids dream of but only a few get. Beyond my fandom, it’s the right team for him.”

In Turin, Timothy has found, since this year, Khephren Thuram, son of Lilian, George Weah’s teammate at Monaco: “Lilian and I were teammates at Monaco, I used to call him my little brother or Chou Chou: we were always together, and it’s nice that our sons are rekindling the bond their fathers had.”

Weah won’t be in Milan but will be cheering for his son from the television as his biggest fan. He regretfully states to La Repubblica that his commitments prevent him from coming to Italy regularly: “It’s always nice to see old friends and have the opportunity to follow Timothy live, but unfortunately my commitments prevent me from doing it as much as I’d like. When I return, even Inter fans show me sympathy, they smile at me, call me Giorgio, and I always tell them: I love everyone, beautiful and ugly. I came in January for Juve-Empoli after fifteen years. Then I returned a few weeks ago before going to Paris for the Ballon d’Or. But I watch all Juve’s matches on TV: first as a fan, now for Timo. And in the end, we always talk on the phone.”

What kind of relationship do father and son have? George, as a father, tries to give the right advice without interfering with the coach’s decisions: “He’s very intelligent, he doesn’t need my advice. I’m his father, it’s the coach who should tell him how and when he’s wrong. Since he was little, I told him to play his own way, without looking at how his dad played. I don’t want to confuse him or put pressure on him. The only thing I always repeat is to play for the team, that even if he comes on for just one minute, he must give his all, and that it doesn’t matter if he scored or not. Last year he was a bit disappointed, he hadn’t done well and wasn’t in his ideal role, but now he’s very happy. He’s young, making mistakes is good for him.”

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