The eldest son of Liberia’s former World Footballer of the Year George Weah has been included in the national squad for a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.George Weah junior will get his first chance to emulate the international career of his father at the start of the 2017 African Nations Cup qualifiers this weekend. The 27-year-old George Weah junior was on the books of two of his father’s old clubs but never made the grade.

He has made the cut for the final squad that has moved to Ghana to prepare for the Group A game in nearby Lome. Weah junior was born in Liberia but grew up in the U.S, where he played for the national under-20 team in a handful of friendly matches. Since then his career has been restricted to the lower leagues in Switzerland and briefly in Greece.

In 2012, WeahJr joined KaliakraKavarna on a one-and-a-half-year deal, after a successful trial with the Bulgarian A PFG club. He last played professional football in two substitute appearances for Paris St Germain’s amateur team last year. On 17 May 2014, Weah made his debut for Paris Saint-Germain’s second team in the Championnat de France amateur, coming on as a 87th minute substitute as his side lost 2-0 to RC Lens II.

Liberia’s new coach, James Debbah, was also a PSG player and is a relative of Weah’s. He has made the cut for the final squad that has moved to Ghana to prepare for the Group A game in nearby Lome.

Weah junior’s father, now 48, was World Footballer of the Year in 1995 and led Liberia to the Nations Cup finals in 1996 and 2002. In 1989, 1994 and 1995 he was the African Footballer of the Year. In 2004 he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players.

An idol in Africa, Weah has been heavily involved in politics in his homeland Liberia. He ran unsuccessfully for president in the 2005 election, losing to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the second round of voting. In the 2011 election, he ran for vice president on Winston Tubman’s ticket.

For many years, when Liberia was embroiled in civil strife, he funded the running of the national team and led them twice to the Nations Cup finals in 1996 and 2002. He also coached the team before turning to politics, running unsuccessfully for president in Liberia but last year winning a Senate seat.Another of his son’s, Timothy, is in the U.S. under-15 team and also in PSG’s youth program.