.Photo: Liberia’s President George Weah taking an oath of office in front of about 35,000 people at a football stadium in the capital, Monrovia on Monday, 22 January, 2018. –

George Weah was sworn in as President of Liberia on Monday, and the former footballer has begun his presidency with a rousing call to all Liberians, promising to do “more than his share” in advancing the country.

However, he warned he was unable to do it alone. Speaking at the Samuel Doe Stadium in the capital, Monrovia, he said: “I will do more than my fair share to meet you expectations – but I ask you to meet mine, for I cannot do this alone.”

Mr Weah also used his inaugural speech to praise Liberia’s strong ties with countries like the US and China, stressing their importance in helping reach the country’s full potential.

He also spoke of the European Union, telling the tens of thousands who had gathered to watch him become president today that the continent would “always have a special place in my heart”.

Mr Weah played football at clubs in France and the UK during the late 1980s and 1990s, becoming the first African to win the coveted Fifa World Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or.