Out from his father’s shadow, Tim Weah is making a name for himself on the U.S. national team

George Weah won the Ballon d’Or in 1995 and is considered one of the best soccer players of his generation. Now, his son is carving his own path on the U.S. men’s national team.

As a young boy, Tim Weah was generally aware his father had played professional soccer. There were clues all around the house: photos from his career, the jersey on the wall. Then when Tim was 10 years old, his father brought him to the World Cup in South Africa.

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George Weah was going for work as a TV commentator. But he also wasn’t going to miss the first World Cup being hosted by an African nation. George is from Liberia and is considered one of the greatest players the continent has ever produced. In his prime, he starred for European powers Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan and in 1995 won the Ballon d’Or, which was given at the time to Europe’s best player. He’s still the only African-born player to ever receive the honor.

In South Africa, George took his son to games and young Tim saw how strangers reacted to seeing his father, crowding around him, asking for photos.