PROFILE | Ambitious Timothy Weah makes strong return to ‘World’s best league’ | OneFootball

Timothy Weah arrived at Olympique de Marseille in the summer with something to prove. After two solid but ultimately unsatisfying seasons at Juventus, where his role oscillated between utility man and afterthought, the USMNT player was searching for clarity as much as minutes. Marseille offered both; and Roberto De Zerbi’s phone call sealed it.

That conviction has translated quickly onto the pitch. After a hesitant August, Weah established himself as a regular starter, becoming one of De Zerbi’s most trusted pieces thanks to his speed, intensity and positional flexibility. Deployed as a right winger, wing-back or full-back depending on the game state, he has provided exactly what Marseille have often lacked: verticality without recklessness.

His biggest moments have come on the biggest stages. Weah’s Champions League goal at the Santiago Bernabéu made him the first USMNT player to score there. So too were his performances against Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle, OGC Nice and Real Madrid, where his ability to attack space and track runners proved invaluable.

Beyond the pitch, Weah has embraced Ligue 1 with unusual conviction. “Ligue 1 is the best league in the world,” he said ahead of OM’s trip to Lille. “It’s the league with the most talent. France is where you create stars.” That belief reflects both personal history and present reality: a player who developed in Paris and Glasgow, matured in Italy, and has now rediscovered momentum in France.

Weah slots into cosmopolitan dressing room

While his goal and assist totals remain modest, Weah ranks highly for progressive carries, shot-creating actions and defensive contribution among wide players. His ability to arrive in dangerous zones without dominating possession makes him a connector rather than a focal point. 

Crucially, Weah has also become an off-pitch stabiliser. Fluent in four languages and comfortable in a cosmopolitan dressing room, he has integrated seamlessly into a squad that has often fluctuated emotionally. His humility contrasts with his pedigree, but his ambition is explicit. “If I leave Marseille without a title, it will be a failure for me,” he has said.

Weah may not define matches on his own, but he makes them possible. In a Marseille side which is so often built on movement and intensity, his pace, adaptability and mentality have turned him into one of De Zerbi’s most reliable weapons.

GFFN | George Boxall