Former African and World Footballer of the year, George Manneh Weah, has officially been sworn in as president of Liberia at a ceremony in the capital Monrovia.

The former AC Milan and Monaco forward took the oath from the Chief Justice at a packed Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex. The event was attended by about a dozen African leaders.

Wearing an all-white attire, Weah put his right hand up with his left placed on a bible held by his wife Clar Marie Weah. Weah was sworn in with his Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, ex-wife of former Liberian president Charles Taylor who has been incarcerated for war crimes.

Weah takes the oath, becoming Liberia’s next president pic.twitter.com/ppoTqUxBo8 — Jennifer O’Mahony (@jaomahony) January 22, 2018

Weah finally won the presidency after three straight attempts. HE lost to candidate Sirleaf in 2006 when he stood as a candidate. He won the main vote and lost the run-off.

In 2011, he partnered a former U.N.-executive, Winston Turnbull, but in the capacity of a vice-presidential aspirant, that ticket was unsuccessful as Sirleaf won a second term.

George Manneh Weah will become its president – the first African footballer to achieve that feat while Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – Africa’s first democratically female president will leave office after over a decade in charge.

Weah won presidential elections last year to emerge the successor to Sirleaf beating then vice president Joseph Boakai twice in a space of three months.

In the first round of voting in October 2017, Weah came top but failed to garner the necessary votes. He went into a runoff with Boakai in December and emerged winner with over 60% of votes cast. This will be Liberia’s first democratic handover of executive power in decades.