Former Liberia international footballer George Weah has announced that he will run for president of the West African country for a second time.

Weah had an illustrious playing career, starring for club sides Paris Saint-Germain, AS Monaco, AC Milan and Chelsea among others.

The three time African Footballer of the Year is the only player from the continent to be named the FIFA World Footballer of the Year, winning the accolade in 1995.

Weah, 49, previously ran for president in 2005, but was defeated by current president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Sirleaf’s second term in office will end next year and under the country’s constitution she cannot run for the top post again.

Weah, who is currently the senator of Montserrado, ran for vice-president under Winston Tubman in 2011, but did not win. The former striker is part of the opposition party – Congress for Democratic Change (CDC).

“Our gathering here today is about the future of our country and our people,” said Weah in the country’s capital Monrovia. “In the last 10 years our people have continued to live in abject poverty, education a mess, health delivery system a disaster, electricity and pipe-borne water elusive.

“Like many of you, I have been a victim of poverty. There were times I didn’t have school fees.”

The Lone Stars, Liberia’s national football team, currently occupy 109th position in the latest FIFA World Rankings.