1995 Ballon d’Or Winner: George Weah, The Pride Of Africa

George Weah’s 1995 Ballon d’Or win was more than just a story of individual triumph. It represented a change for the award itself and the global game as a whole.

The accolade became subject to the biggest and most significant format tweak in its history – a rule change that most fans of the sport could agree was long overdue.

It was the Ballon d’Or’s inaugural edition in which players born outside of Europe were allowed to receive votes and ultimately claim the prize.

George Weah became the first non-european winner and the pride of Africa.

Changing Times 

For the first time since its inception in 1956, the Ballon d’Or permitted the entry of and voting for players from non-European origin.

It meant that, no matter which continent a footballer descended from – whether it be South American, Africa, The Americas or Asia – the finest player on the planet could finally be recognised.

If the Ballon d’Or had allowed those outside of Europe to take part from the beginning then no doubt some legendary South Americans would have claimed the prize.

Arguably the greatest player of all-time was Pele and the Brazilian could easily have won the Ballon d’Or, during his country’s World Cup winning years of 1958, 1962 and 1970, amongst an array of stellar seasons with Santos.

Argentine wizard Maradona undoubtedly deserved a Ballon d’Or win at several points during his illustrious career. Not only did he help deliver Napoli the Serie A title in 1990 but Maradona also enjoyed an incredible 1986 by winning the World Cup with Argentina.

However in 1995, it was an African’s turn to shine. 

Weah’s World

Liberia international George Weah remains the only African winner of the Ballon d’Or.

Weah featured in French football for Monaco and then Paris Saint-Germain who he helped win a league title and two French cups in three seasons.

He arrived at AC Milan in the summer of 1995 for a fee of around £6 million having played 200 games in France and scoring nearly eighty times.

His debut campaign in Italy was 1995/96 where he played 35 times in all competitions and netted a total of 15 goals – as AC Milan secured the Serie A title.

Weah became only the third black player to win the Ballon d’Or following Eusebio’s victory in 1965 with his goalscoring heroics for Benfica. It would be another 22 years before black midfield maestro Ruud Gullit claimed the prize after helping PSV win the Eredivisie crown.

Weah’s performances across 1995 for both PSG and Milan saw him awarded football’s most prestigious individual honour and make history in the process.

Along with the Ballon d’Or, he completed a unique treble of accolades, claiming FIFA Player of the Year and African Player of the Year.

The Liberian international is perhaps best remembered by the masses for his solo wonder goal vs Verona in September 1996 where he picked up the ball in his own half before running the length of the field to slot home!

Weah’s triumphant Ballon d’Or win was significant in shifting the perception of how African footballers were viewed across European football.

His success allowed for a greater level of trust in relatively unknown players from the continent and triggered a wave of signings from Africa into the big five leagues.

Weah’s Ballon d’Or truly transcended the game.

1995 Ballon d’Or Top 20 

Trivia

• George Weah became the President of Liberia in 2018.
• Jurgen Klinsmann’s second place finish occurred during his single season at Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur where he played 50 times and scored 29 goals in all competitions.
• Third place Jari Litmanen was arguably the finest midfielder in the world in 1995 after scoring six goals during Ajax’s Champions League winning run.