Arsene Wenger will travel to Liberia this week to receive an honour from the country’s president and his former player George Weah.
Wenger is being recognised for his role in developing Weah’s football career, who he brought to Europe from Africa in 1998 while manager of Monaco.
The former Arsenal boss will be honoured by the government on Friday – which is National Flag Day in Liberia – in the nation’s capital Monrovia.
Weah is also bestowing an honour on former Cameroon and current Togo manager Claude Le Roy who first alerted Wenger of the player’s potential.
“He was a father figure and regarded me as his son,” Weah told The Guardian of Wenger’s role in his life last year.
“This was a man, when racism was at its peak, who showed me love. He wanted me to be on the pitch for him every day.”
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Weah’s popularity from his footballing career saw him win a landslide run-off victory last December in Liberia’s presidential elections.
After starring under Wenger at Monaco, Weah went on to play for AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
In 1995 he was named World Footballer of the Year and won the Ballon d’Or and is still the only African player to win either award.
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