The United States winger, Timothy Weah, fulfilled his father's dream of playing for the storied Italian club, Juventus, as he completed a transfer to the team on Saturday, July 1. Weah, 23 years old and the son of former FIFA Player of the Year and current Liberian President George Weah, signed a five-year contract with Juventus on the opening day of the transfer market in Italy.
Weah was signed from Lille, a Ligue 1 side, for an initial fee of 10.3 million euros ($11.2 million). Juventus has stated that the fee can increase by an additional 3.1 million euros in bonuses based on the achievement of sporting goals, as the club seeks to replace Juan Cuadrado, a long-serving Colombian player who departed upon the expiration of his contract.
Expressing his excitement about the move to Juventus, Weah said:
"Honored & Blessed to finally be Bianconeri. None of this would have been possible without the love and support of my wonderful family. Thank you to everyone at Juventus for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to represent this legendary club.
"GRAZIE (thank you) to all the supporters for all the love they’ve shown me since day one and I can’t wait to meet you all very soon."
During his time at Lille, Weah scored eight goals in 102 appearances for the French club. He also played a significant role for the USA national team at the 2022 World Cup, scoring a goal in their draw with Wales in the group stage.
It's worth noting that Timothy Weah's father, George Weah, who is currently the president of Liberia, won the Ballon d'Or in 1995 while playing for AC Milan, Juventus' Italian rivals.
Although born in the United States, Timothy Weah began his professional career with Paris St-Germain, where he won the Ligue 1 title before going on loan to Celtic. He was part of the Celtic side that achieved the league and cup Double in the 2018-19 season.