Tim Weah knew his dad was important. But it would appear that he just didn’t quite know he was George Weah important.

The USMNT forward, speaking on 26 Stories, recalled the moment he started to understand that his father was not simply “dad,” but a somewhat iconic soccer player. And that moment came in the most ordinary setting possible: a trip to the mall.

“We’re walking to the mall and somebody’s asking my dad for photos and stuff like that,” Weah junior said. “I was like, ‘Who’s this guy coming over here asking my dad for photos?’”

That curiosity sent him home to the internet, where the pieces came together quickly. George was not just famous. He was the 1995 Ballon d’Or winner, FIFA World Player of the Year, not to mention the first African player to win those honors. He later served as Liberia’s president from 2018 to 2024.

Tim Weah’s family story is bigger than soccer

For Tim, the surname carries more than medals and old highlight reels. He spoke in the interview about his Liberian roots, his father’s Kru heritage and a family story built on perseverance.

His admiration for his father goes beyond soccer, too. Watching Weah senior rise from Liberia to Europe, then return home and enter public life, left a deep mark.

“To see your dad, who was a Black man, have so much success and want to give back to his people was amazing,” Tim said.

But this was not only a tribute to his father. Weah made sure his mother received her recognition as well.

Tim Weah credits his mother as his first coach

Weah said his Jamaican-born mother was his first soccer coach, the person who introduced him to the game and made the sacrifices that gave him a chance to chase it seriously.

“My mom was my first coach,” he said. “Mom Dukes was definitely the one that started everything for me.”

She drove him to practices, games and opportunities across the country, putting her own ambitions aside so her son could chase his.

That is why Weah’s story is not just about finding out his dad was a legend. It is about realizing, albeit a little slowly, that both parents had already given him a blueprint.

“Through thick and thin, they’ve kept me on the right path,” he said. “I needed them in order to get to where I am today.”

And where is that? Only on the verge of appearing for Mauricio Pochettino’s US men’s national team at the 2026 World Cup.

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