Timo keen to step out of father’s shadow
CELTIC Hoops loan ace Weah insists his fledgling career has been
LIKE some young footballers, especially those who play for a big and glitzy club, Timothy Weah has an entourage.
Unlike every other 18-yearold player, his following included the first lady of Liberia and her bodyguard, a giant of a man who looked as if he could take down the All Blacks all on his own. Only dad, President George, was missing.
Celtic’s new signing does not have the usual backstory.
There is something else different about this impressive teenager.
His maturity impressed the assembled Scottish press pack in Dubai, as did the way he dealt with questions about his family, questions he must have been asked a thousand times.
The message Weah wanted to get over was that Paris Saint-Germain and now Celtic didn’t want him because the old man happened to be decent in his day. He’s in Glasgow, via Paris and New York where he grew up, because he’s a good player.
Weah said: “I guess I would use one word to describe myself: determined. I don’t really like to give up a lot. I’m a hard worker. People believe that I was fed with a silver spoon in my mouth but I fought for everything I have.
“Going to BW Gottschee to Red Bull to PSG to Celtic, I fought for that. My dad is not on the field playing for me.
“It’s hard, you know, having a father who’s done what he’s done. You have to be yourself and express yourself. Determination is what I need to use to come here to Celtic and prove myself and fight.”
So, is having a seriously famous football surname a burden?
Weah insisted: “No, no, no, no. It’s a blessing. I would say it’s a blessing because for me as a player it pushes me to be better and to live up to that name. I feel like God blessed me with this name for a reason and it’s up to me to put two and two together to become the player I can be.
“It’s been a long wait, but I’m happy and grateful to be here with this beautiful club and I’m honoured to be able to have the clover of Celtic across my heart. It’s a true blessing because I went hard times these past few months with not playing and watching from the sidelines.
“It’s always going to come up [who his dad is] and I don’t pay much attention to it. I try to keep a level head and not listen to what everyone else has to say, just to my parents.
“They say to play my own style of game and let people know who I am. Just fight for your opportunity and that’s what I’ve come to Celtic to do.”
Weah said all the right things. Words ultimately count for little but if he’s as intelligent and thoughtful on the field as he was in a Dubai hotel yesterday, then Celtic might be on to a winner.
He said: “It’s fantastic to get an offer from such a great club and a historic club.
“I’m only 18, but, at the same time, I have high expectations of myself. I know I can push myself to be able to get minutes with the big boys [at PSG]. I know I can do it and that’s what sets me off sometimes.
“But it’s all a learning experience and it’s all about maturing.
“I feel these last few months have really moulded me into a better player and a