Crowds of excited Arsenal fans have welcomed Arsène Wenger as he arrived in Liberia ahead of an awards ceremony where he will be given the country’s highest honour.
The former Arsenal manager was Liberian President George Weah’s first European football coach and brought him to Monaco in 1988.
President Weah went on to become the only African to win Fifa World Player of the Year.
Wenger will be inducted into the country’s Order of Distinction on 24 August and be given the title of Knight Grand Commander of the Humane Order of African Redemption.
Wenger told the media that he had come to the country to visit George and was not aware of any honour.
He previously expressed his admiration for Mr Weah in an interview with the BBC.
“I remember when I saw him the first time at Monaco, coming in a bit lost, not knowing anybody, not being rated by anybody as a player and becoming the best player in the world in 1995 and today becoming the president of his country,” Wenger said.
“The life of this guy is a real film. It is unbelievable. It can make a fantastic film.”
Arsene Wenger in Liberia with a baby named after him. Amazing photo. pic.twitter.com/sZdnYGvMGK
— Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley_) August 23, 2018
The current coach of the Togolese national team, Claude Le Roy, will also get a national honour on Friday.
He coached Cameroon in 1988 and recommended that Wenger should sign George Weah, who was playing for Cameroonian side Tonnerre Yaoundé at the time.
Weah went on to play for AC Milan, Paris St Germain and Chelsea. In 1995 he was named World Footballer of the Year and won the Ballon d’Or, still the only African to win either award.
Weah’s popularity from his footballing career saw him win a landslide run-off victory last December in Liberia’s presidential elections.