Weah: ‘I was broken at Juventus, De Zerbi convinced me to join Marseille’ | OneFootball

Timothy Weah admits he was ‘broken and totally lacking in confidence’ after his Juventus experience, but an unusual Roberto De Zerbi call at 4am brought him to Olympique Marseille.

The son of former Milan legend George Weah had joined Juve with great expectations from Lille at a cost of €11m in the summer of 2023.

epa11555551 Juventus’ Timothy Weah in action during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Juventus FC and Como 1907, in Turin, Italy, 19 August 2024. EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DI MARCO

However, the USMNT star failed to make much of an impact, with seven goals and seven assists in 78 games for the club.

There was also controversy when he refused a move to Nottingham Forest, which he claims was agreed by the club without informing him.

Weah ‘broken’ during Juventus experience

epa11712328 Juventus’ Timothy Weah celebrates after scoring the 1-0 goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Juventus FC and Torino FC, in Turin, Italy, 09 November 2024. EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DI MARCO

“Olympique Marseille picked up a player who was broken, totally lacking in confidence,” he told Telefoot.

“It was difficult for me to even get up in the morning to go to training, because things were just not going well for me. Marseille really took a gamble.”

Italian coach De Zerbi spotted the potential for a return to Ligue 1 and convinced Weah with his rather unique charm.

“The coach called me at 4am, on Facetime,” laughed the player.

“He was wearing his pyjamas and smoking. He said: ‘Tim, you’ve got to come here. You’ll see, this is your home.’ And when I arrived at the airport, I was greeted as if I was home.”

The transfer is a €1m loan with obligation to buy at the end of the season for a further €14.4m plus bonuses of up to another €4.1m.

Juve will also retain a 10 per cent cut of the future sale fee.

Timothy Weah arrives for Olympique Marseille transfer from Juventus (@sebnonda)

“I hope to stay here for a long time, if possible.”

Weah has rediscovered his form in France, scoring three goals with four assists in 28 competitive appearances for the club so far this season.